The Philippine government can do its own investigation of the war on drugs during Duterte’s administration without the help of the ICC. However, it will take time for the NBI to investigate due to the lack of witnesses.
The Office of the Solicitor said the Philippines can conduct its own investigation into the bloody war on drugs during Duterte’s administration without the help of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the 52 cases of police operations that resulted in the deaths of alleged drug suspects are already the subject of an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and over 20 findings have been submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a preliminary investigation to determine probable cause, the Manila Standard reported.
“Why do you have to interfere in our investigations,?” Menardo questioned the ICC.
“You may not be happy with the results so far, but it doesn’t mean that our judicial and legal system is not functioning. We don’t need you,” he added.
Last week, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that the Philippines government’s objection to the continuation of the ICC probe on Duterte’s administration’s war on drugs has no basis. He also asked the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to resume the investigation.
The Philippine government had previously asked the ICC to dismiss the case, saying the international tribunal lacks jurisdiction on the matter, and that the alleged crimes are insufficiently grave to warrant further action. It also mentioned that it has investigated and continuously looked into the alleged crimes.
Meanwhile, Guevarra also admitted that it takes longer for the NBI to probe the bloody war on drugs due to the scarcity of witnesses.
“The problem is the witnesses…It is really hard for the NBI to validate the cases because the witnesses who may have known what really happened refuse to testify. Even the relatives of the deceased drug suspects are not showing up,” Guevarra said.
He further asked the witnesses to appear before the DOJ if they are afraid of the consequences of testifying to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The solicitor general emphasized that the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC which gives the country the right to reject the international tribunal’s request to investigate the drug war.
In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew the Philippines’ membership from the Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the Hague-based International Criminal Court. The withdrawal took effect in 2019 after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into the killings under the war on illegal drugs.
“As long as the issue on the admissibility of the case is not finalized or settled, the Philippine government will not allow the ICC prosecutor to interfere in the Philippine’s own investigation into the matter,” Guevarra said.
Based on the reports from June 2016 to November 2021, at least 6,200 drug suspects have been killed in police operations. However, several human rights groups said the actual death toll could be between 12,000 and 30,000.
Tags: #WarOnDrugs, #DrugProbe, #ICC