VP Sara Duterte says any ICC probe in PH is ‘patently unconstitutional’

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday said that allowing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and any alleged crime in the Philippines is unconstitutional.

The Vice President’s father is former president Rodrigo Duterte, the chief architect of the war on drugs, which saw the deaths of thousands of people.

“To allow ICC prosecutors to investigate alleged crimes that are now under the exclusive jurisdiction of our prosecutors and our Courts is not only patently unconstitutional but effectively belittles and degrades our legal institutions,” said Duterte in a statement.

“Huwag nating insultuhin at bigyan ng kahihiyan ang ating mga hukuman sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita sa mundo na tayo ay naniniwala na mga dayuhan lang ang tanging may abilidad na magbigay ng katarungan at hustisya sa ating sariling bayan,” she added.

(Let us not insult and shame our courts by showing the world we believe that only foreigners could give fairness and justice to our own country.)

READ: Bongbong Marcos: ‘That’s it; we’re done talking with ICC’

Members of the House of Representatives began tackling measures that would urge the government to cooperate with the ICC’s probe into the war on drugs.

READ: House starts tackling calls for PH cooperation with ICC

The younger Duterte called these meetings “sudden and unannounced.”

“I respectfully remind our honorable lawmakers of the very words that our President, His Excellency Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. reiterated less than half a year ago: ‘Any probe conducted by the ICC would be an intrusion into our internal matters, and a threat to our sovereignty… We are done talking with the ICC. Like what we have been saying from the beginning, we will not cooperate with them in any way, shape, or form’,” said Duterte.

Respect the position of the President, Duterte urged the lawmakers.