Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr says ‘no intention’ to rejoin ICC

MANILA: The particular Philippines has no plan to rejoin the Worldwide Criminal Court (ICC), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said upon Monday (Aug 1), with the tribunal’s prosecutor seeking to resume the probe into the ex-president’s deadly drug battle.

Rodrigo Duterte, who remaining office on Jun 30, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019 after it launched an initial probe into his drug crackdown, which usually killed many thousands of people.

ICC idol judges authorised a full investigation in to the anti-narcotics campaign last September, saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack upon civilians.

This suspended the übung two months later, right after Manila said it had been looking into the supposed crimes itself.

But ICC prosecutor Karim Khan stated in June which the request by Manila to defer the particular probe was unjustified and that it should reboot “as quickly since possible”.

Marcos, who backed Duterte’s drug war, has previously indicated he’d not cooperate using the ICC.

On Monday, he went even further.

“The Philippines has no purpose of rejoining the particular ICC, ” Marcos told reporters.

Son of the state’s late dictator, Marcos Jr was elected leader by a landslide in May with the help of a powerful alliance along with Duterte’s daughter, Sara, who won the vice presidential race.

During their presidency, Duterte declined to cooperate using the court, claiming this had no legal system – an assertion rejected by the Filipino Supreme Court.

Under pressure from the UN Human Rights Authorities and the ICC, the government has examined many hundred cases of drug operations that will led to deaths.

Charges have been submitted in a handful of cases. Only three police have been convicted just for slaying a medication suspect.

The ICC has invited the Philippines “to offer observations” upon Khan’s request in order to resume the probe, the presidential marketing communications office said.

Manila has till Sep 8 to respond.