Manila solon explains why PH gov’t needs to ‘cooperate’ with ICC 

Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Contributed photo)

The chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights is prodding the government to “cooperate” with The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).

For this purpose, panel chairman Manila 6th Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. penned and filed House Resolution (HR) No.1477.

On Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 21, Abante highlighted his measure, which stressed that “The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect of human rights.”

According to HR No. 1477, the Philippine government has clearly demonstrated that it “respects the rule of international law and recognizes the proceedings of the ICC” as evidenced by its initial request to the ICC to defer its investigation, as well as its subsequent petition to the ICC Appeals Chamber.

In March 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute–which created ICC–after ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that she would start a preliminary examination against the Filipino leader in connection with complaints on his bloody war against drugs.

The resolution pointed out that despite the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the jurisdiction of the ICC was reinforced by the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines when it rendered a judgment stating that “The ICC retains jurisdiction over any and all acts committed by government actors until March 17, 2019.”

The ICC has maintained that it retains jurisdiction with respect to any alleged crime that occurred in the Philippines while it was a State Party to the Rome Statute, from Nov. 1, 2011 up to March 16, 2019.

Given the foregoing, the appropriate government departments are urged “to extend their full cooperation to the ICC Prosecutor with respect to its investigation of any alleged crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC,” read HR No.1477, which was co-authored by 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Gutierrez.

The Philippines is the second country to withdraw from the ICC. It followed Burundi, which left the ICC in 2017.

Ex-president Duterte’s term lasted from 2016 to 2022.