Binatikos ng Malacañang ang International Criminal Court sa patuloy nitong pag-iimbestiga sa drug war ni Pangulong Duterte.

Ito ang ipinahayag ni Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo nang ipahayag ng ICC sa isang liham na sisilipin nito ang ikalawang komunikasyon na inihain ng National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) laban kay Duterte.

Sa kanyang pahayag nitong Biyernes, sinabi ni Panelo na ang pagliham ng ICC sa NUPL ay nangangahulugan lang na patuloy na isinusulong ng High Court ang kahit anong aktibidad na sinimulan nito laban sa Pangulo, sa kabila ng pagbibigay-diin na ang Pilipinas ay hindi naging parte ng hurisdiksiyon nito.

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"With the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC writing the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers a letter on April 4, 2019 saying that it will analyze the latter’s communication in the context of a situation already under preliminary examination by it, it becomes apparent that this institution is indeed bent on interfering with the sovereignty of our Republic even if it means disregarding the Rome Statute, the very instrument which created it," aniya.

"With the biased and preconceived actions of the ICC, we cannot blame the Filipino people for thinking that it has taken a politically-motivated obnoxious path aimed at maligning not just this Administration but the very Republic of the Philippines," dagdag niya.

Sinabi ni Duterte at ng Malacañang na walang hurisdiksiyon ang ICC sa Pilipinas sa ratipikasyon ng bansa sa Rome Statute, ang kasunduan na bumuo sa ICC, ay hindi nailathala sa Official Gazette.

"We reiterate that the Rome Statute, being a law penal in nature, never took effect in the country. Claiming otherwise without the requisite publication violates Sections 1 and 7 of the Bill of Rights which respectively guarantee the rights of the people to due process and to be informed on matters of national concern," ani Panelo.

"Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that the Rome Statute became enforceable in the Philippines, the ICC can still no longer exercise its powers over the country as, in such hypothetical case, our withdrawal already became effective last month," dagdag niya.

Samantala, sinabi kahapon ni Senador Leila de Lima na ang pag-atras ng Pilipinas sa ICC ay nagpapahina sa depensa ng mga Pinoy laban sa mga pang-aabuso ng mga dayuhan.

"In short, the grievously ill-advised and arbitrary unilateral withdrawal from the Rome Statute was a colossal blunder," wika ni De Lima.

"[President] Duterte’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute becomes nothing more than a self-serving act that also favored his Chinese patron, with the Philippines as the major loser," dagdag niya.

“Because as sure as anything, Duterte will continue to commit crimes against humanity on his countrymen, and China will continue to commit acts of aggression against Filipino fisherfolks beyond March 17, 2019. The Philippines has just been stripped naked of ICC protection from both,” aniya pa.

Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos at Mario B. Casayuran