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The report of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that crimes against humanity of murder, torture and serious physical injury and mental damage were committed during the campaign of the war on drugs in the Philippines. inhumane acts were extremely unjust, unjustifiable and one-sided, said the Philippine Drug Control Agency (PDEA).
PDEA, in a statement through its regional office, said the agency remains skeptical about how the ICC came up with its findings solely on the basis of open source information.
Like all other well-founded reports, the ICC report must show evidence and undergo the standard validation and review process before reaching firm conclusions, PDEA said.
“The ICC should have waited for the report of an interagency panel created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the apparent drug-related killings, rather than issuing blanket statements that have yet to be proven without the help of a formal and local investigation, “the agency added.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), in a resolution, offered technical assistance to the Philippine government to strengthen its human rights and accountability measures, rather than launch an independent investigation.
Coming from the UNHRC, it is credible testimony that there is insufficient basis that extrajudicial killings exist in the Philippines, PDEA said.
The PDEA is optimistic that the ICC judges will decide not to carry out an open investigation into the situation in the Philippines based on the principle applied in previous judgments from its investigative chamber due to the lack of cooperation from the accused country, where the CPI has territorial jurisdiction.
President Rodrigo Duterte does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Philippines as manifested in his withdrawal to form part of the Rome Statute, the treaty that forms the international court, since the treaty was never published in a newspaper of general circulation.
Taking into account that there is an absence of jurisdiction, it is logical that the ICC rulings are not enforceable in the country.
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