Marcos, Remulla yet to talk about pleas for gov’t cooperation with ICC

FILE PHOTO: An exterior view of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to speak with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla about recent developments, including calls on the government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its “drug war” probe.

“I don’t believe that the Secretary and the President have spoken yet. It’s something that is way above my pay level, so I believe it’s something that has to be discussed between the Secretary and the President,” said Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano.

The official was asked during a press briefing at the Palace regarding coordination between Malacañang and the DOJ on the ICC investigation of the brutal campaign against illegal drugs during the Duterte administration.

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Clavano said that while the President and the DOJ chief have previously talked about matters concerning ICC, they have not discussed new developments related to the drug war probe yet.

“With the new news coming, they haven’t talked maybe for about a week about the issue,” he said.

Marcos said in November that the government is studying the possibility of the Philippines returning to the ICC, years after his predecessor, President Rodrigo Duterte, ordered the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which established the international tribunal.

The ICC resumed its all-out investigation of Duterte’s bloody drug war early this year.