In this Nov. 7, 2019 file photo, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, is seen in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
MANILA, Philippines — After the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected the Philippine government’s request to halt its investigation into the bloody drug war campaign led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla merely wished the ICC good luck saying that it lacks the authority to take any action.
According to Remulla, in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Headstart on Tuesday, the ICC has to come up with a compulsory process before it can proceed with its probe of the killings committed during Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.
“Because right now, we are telling them we can do it. Give us your complaint we can do it,” said Remulla.
“If they insist on doing it, well, good luck to them because they cannot enter our country to impose a rule of law different from ours, and our rule of law here is done by Filipinos,” he added.
Remulla added that because the country is not a part of the ICC’s jurisdiction, it cannot compel the Philippine government “to act in any manner.”
The justice secretary’s response came after the ICC Appeals Chamber on Monday (Manila time) rejected the Philippine government’s request to suspend its investigation into the killings committed under Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign, citing its failure to back its claims that the court’s investigation would result in consequences that could not be corrected.
‘ICC talking big’
Remulla then challenged the ICC to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin first, to show what they could do, accusing them of “talking big.”
READ: ICC judges issue arrest warrant against Putin over alleged war crimes
“The ICC is the ICC, good luck to them, also if they want to arrest Putin, I’d like to see them do that because they’re big on words but let them do it first so we will believe that they can really do what they’re saying,” said Remulla.
READ: Russia mocks ICC order vs Putin: No jurisdiction
When asked why the country even submitted an appeal in the first place, Remulla clarified that it was made for diplomatic purposes.
“It’s part of diplomacy, we have to exhaust all diplomatic means to get the message across,” explained Remulla.