The Philippines has distanced itself from a recent campaign by the US administration urging countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), maintaining that it will continue to follow its own laws.
According to Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro, the policy of the US is not within the scope of the Philippine government, and Manila will not be influenced by Washington's latest stance on the Hague-based tribunal.
Ms. Castro stated that the Philippines has no plans to rejoin the ICC, and its position on the tribunal is based on Philippine policy rather than that of any foreign government.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, in 2019 under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte after the tribunal opened a preliminary examination into his anti-illegal drug campaign.
Despite being no longer a state party, the ICC maintains that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.
Former presidential legal counsel Salvador S. Panelo welcomed the US administration's campaign against the ICC, saying the tribunal should stop what he described as interference in the affairs of sovereign states.
Mr. Panelo stated that the ICC's actions, including the arrest and detention of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, are a classic example of the tribunal's unlawful intrusion into countries that are not members.
The US and the Philippines remain treaty allies under the Mutual Defense Treaty and continue to cooperate on defense, trade, and other strategic issues despite Manila's decision to treat Washington's latest ICC campaign as a separate policy matter.
The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to do so.
