Duterte's ex-spokesman insists ICC has no jurisdiction over Philippines

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte blows a kiss to his supporters during the " Salamat="" thanksgiving="" concert="" at="" the="" Quirino="" Grandstand="" in="" Manila="" on="" June="" Valerie="" Presidential="" Photo="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/02/09/20220627-duterte-salamat-prrd-mnib-12.jpg"/><figcaption>President Rodrigo Duterte blows a kiss to his supporters during the &quot;Salamat PRRD&quot; thanksgiving concert at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on June 26, 2022. <em>Valerie Escalera, Presidential Photo/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Former President Rodrigo Duterte has maintained that the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over the Philippines after the tribunal authorized the reopening of an inquiry into the bloody war on drugs, his former spokesman said Thursday.</p><p>According to lawyer Harry Roque, Duterte is ready to face complaints against him, should there be any, but only before Philippine courts.</p><p>&quot;President Duterte has made it clear, &#x27;Do what you want.&#x27; You will never have jurisdiction over his person and of course, we have always maintained that we will uphold Philippine sovereignty, that he will only face criminal prosecution before a domestic court,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot;.</p><p>Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Hague-based tribunal in 2019, a year after the ICC began a preliminary probe into the crackdown. </p><p>The ICC launched a formal inquiry in September 2021, only to suspend it 2 months later after Manila said it was re-examining several hundred cases of drug operations that led to deaths at the hands of police, hitmen and vigilantes.</p><p>Officially, 6,181 people were killed in Duterte&#x27;s &quot;war on drugs&quot; but rights group say that up to 30,000 may have been killed, some innocent victims, and that corruption was rife among security forces that acted with impunity.</p><p>ICC prosecutor Karim Khan asked to restart the inquiry in June 2022, saying the Philippine government under Duterte&#x27;s successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., had not provided enough evidence it was carrying out thorough inquiries.</p><p>The ICC said that while the Philippines&#x27; withdrawal from the Statute took effect on March 17, 2019, the court &quot;retains jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes that occurred on the territory of the Philippines while it was a State Party, from 1 November 2011 up to and including 16 March 2019. &quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/27/23/icc-oks-resumption-of-probe-into-ph-drug-war-davao-killings">ICC approves resumption of probe into PH drug war, Davao killings</a></li></ul><p>In a statement on Jan. 27, the ICC said its pre-trial chamber &quot;is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the court&#x27;s investigations&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps,&quot; it added.</p><p>Duterte&#x27;s camp took exception to ICC&#x27;s decision.</p><p>&quot;As the President has said, we take offense because there&#x27;s standing in judgement against the efficiency and effectiveness of our criminal justice system,&quot; Roque said.</p><p>&quot;The ICC was never intended to stand in judgement against domestic institutions. It is very clear. It is only when domestic institutions are unable and unwilling to exercise jurisdiction that the ICC should exercise jurisdiction,&quot; he added.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/09/23/ph-govt-notifies-icc-it-will-appeal-drug-war-probe-resumption">PH govt notifies ICC it will appeal drug war probe resumption</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2459466" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>— With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong><br/> <br/> </div>

Duterte maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines after the tribunal authorized the reopening of an inquiry into the drug war.

Duterte's ex-spokesman insists ICC has no jurisdiction over Philippines | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Horoscope

News

Duterte's ex-spokesman insists ICC has no jurisdiction over Philippines

Duterte's ex-spokesman insists ICC has no jurisdiction over Philippines

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 09, 2023 03:32 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

Harry Roque

drug war

war on drugs

drugs

ICC

International Criminal Court

tribunal

court

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.