House panels adopt ICC resolutions, eye coordination with Senate

RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — The House committees on justice and on human rights unanimously voted to adopt 3 House resolutions urging government cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation on the war on drugs of former President Rodrigo Duterte.The adoption came after more than 4 hours of deliberations by the 2 panels on Wednesday.Following the adoption, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman got the panels to agree to his suggestion to coordinate with Sen. Risa Hontiveros — author of a similar resolution in the Senate — for a concurrent resolution that would express the sense of the entire Congress.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/28/23/hontiveros-files-resolution-urging-malacaang-to-cooperate-with-icc-probe">Hontiveros files resolution urging Malacañang to cooperate with ICC probe</a></li></ul>Concurrent resolutions do not require the President’s signature and do not have the force of law.House Committee on Human Rights chair Bienvenido Abante of Manila&#x27;s 6th District, said he believed this could give President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. more room to reconsider helping the ICC with its probe.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/20/23/marcos-jr-oks-philippine-disengagement-with-icc-osg">Marcos Jr. OKs Philippine disengagement with ICC</a></li></ul>Earlier in the hearing, Lagman said the hearing was not meant to decide on the matter of rejoining the ICC and that this had no bearing on the Philippines&#x27; cooperation with its drug war probe.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/24/23/remulla-rejoining-icc-needs-serious-study">Remulla: Rejoining ICC needs &#x27;serious study&#x27;</a></li></ul>Abante also maintained that cooperating does not reflect on the country&#x27;s justice system.&quot;This resolution is not questioning the credibility of our justice system. We know it&#x27;s working. The question is, does the ICC know it&#x27;s working?&quot; Abante added.Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who was Duterte&#x27;s justice secretary, said on Wednesday that nothing was preventing the ICC from coming to the Philippines to investigate the war on drugs of Duterte. However, he said the ICC should not expect cooperation from the Philippines because its jurisdiction over the country has not been settled.&quot;You can investigate in whatever way you want, you can talk to any person you want. You can interview any witness you want. It&#x27;s up to you... But do not expect cooperation from the Philippine government di naman pa natin sinsusuway yung decision ng appeals chamber,&quot; Guevarra said.At least 7,732 people were killed under the war on drugs during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2022, a Department of Justice official told the House panels. &quot;This is actually a moving number. From what I understand po yung ating mga personnel from the PNP continue to process these cases,&quot; said Prosecutor Hazel Decena Valdez, Program Director of the DOJ Human Rights Office. &quot;Together with the panel that was created by Sec. Remulla, we will sit down with the PNP personnel as well as the PDEA personnel, the DDB and the NBI to get the figures straight,&quot; she added. <div>DOJ OPEN TO VP DUTERTE&#x27;S INPUTS </div>Meanwhile, the Department of Justice welcomed Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s statement that she would officially send her stance to the agency on the issues involving the ICC and her father.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/27/23/sara-duterte-on-marcos-icc-stance-you-need-to-ask-him">Sara Duterte on Marcos&#x27; new stance on ICC cooperation: &#x27;You need to ask him&#x27;</a></li></ul>“The Department is open to the Vice President’s note and will await it. We will include her note and comments therein as part of the considerations and study,” Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said in a statement. The DOJ, however, said there were also other sides to the ICC issue. “The issue is multi-faceted and we must see things from a wholistic perspective,” Clavano said. The DOJ said it believed victims of alleged extra-judicial killings deserve justice. “In all this discussion, let us not forget that the goal is to attain justice for victims of extra-judicial killings. Plain and simple,” Clavano said.<div>— With a report from Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News</div>

House Committee on Human Rights chair Rep. Bienvenido Abante maintained that cooperating with ICC does not reflect on the country's justice system.

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House panels adopt ICC resolutions, eye coordination with Senate

House panels adopt ICC resolutions, eye coordination with Senate

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 29, 2023 02:48 PM PHT

|

Updated Nov 29, 2023 05:46 PM PHT

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