THE Supreme Court (SC) has rescheduled anew the oral arguments for the consolidated petitions seeking to nullify the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

From August 7, the oral arguments was reset to August 14 at 2 p.m., according to SC spokesperson lawyer Theodore Te.

The Court also directed the Office of the Solicitor General to comment to detained Senator Leila de Lima's motion for furlough to join the oral arguments as counsel for the petitioner-senators, within a non-extendible period of five days.

The first petition for certiorari and mandamus was filed by Senators De Lima, Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, and Antonio Trillanes IV, while the second petition was filed by the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court led by former Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales.

The petitioners said the respondents committed usurpation of legislative powers when they decided to withdrew from the Rome Statute. They argued that if a Senate concurrence is needed for the Philippines to enter into a treaty, its concurrence is also needed before a country withdraws itself from a treaty.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier announced that the Philippines is withdrawing from the Rome Statute, as it is meddling in the internal affairs of the country.

The move of the administration was prompted by the ICC's announcement that it would start the preliminary examination into the crimes against humanity charges against the President.

The ICC's move is in action to the communication filed by lawyer Jude Sabio, who represents self-confessed Davao Death Squad member Edgar Matobato, linking Duterte in summary killings in Davao City. (SunStar Philippines)