TARLAC -- President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, September 20, was delighted by the "international pressure" the International Criminal Court (ICC) has to bear after the United States warned to use "any means necessary" against the Hague-based international court to protect American citizens from possible prosecution.
Last week, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said Washington perceived the ICC as "already dead," as it seemed to be an "ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed outright dangerous."
Bolton's fierce statement was in response to the international court's first-ever public investigation into the US's supposed war crimes.
The ICC had sought to launch an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by US service members and Central Intelligence Agency operatives in Afghanistan and the war on terror.
Duterte, who has repeatedly chastised the ICC for its plan to conduct preliminary examination of the Philippines' supposed human rights violations attributed to his drug war, heaped praise on Bolton's scathing tirades against the international tribunal.
"There is an international pressure sa ICC kasi binull s*** sila ni Bolton (the ICC is facing because Bolton cursed them). He's a far right iyan sa (there in) America," Duterte told military troops at Camp O'donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
"And he (Bolton) has criticized ang ICC. Pero ngayon na lang.. But if you would notice, hindi naman ako nag-yayabang, tayo 'yung nauna Hindi lang ako pumayag. Binull s*** ko sila. Sabi ko PI ninyo. I said do not f*ck with my country. Mas marunong pa kayo sa problema, p***** i**," he added.
(And he (Bolton) has criticized the ICC. But he did it only now But if you would notice, not to brag, we're the first one to do that. I did not let them intimidate us. I cursed them. I said you are all a son of a b****. I said do not f*ck with my country. Don't act as if you know all the problems. Son of a b****.)
The ICC's initial review of the Philippines's situation based on the communication lodged by lawyer Jude Sabio prompted Duterte on March 14 to withdraw the country's membership from the international court "effective immediately."
The Philippines, however, remains to be a member-state of the ICC, as Article 127 of the Rome Statute states that the withdrawal from the ICC "shall take effect one year after the date of receipt of the notification, unless the notification specifies a later date."
Duterte, nevertheless, said Bolton's remarks were "quite refreshing" to the Philippines.
"The timely word of Bolton now is quite refreshing to us, lalo na ako yung pinakamaingay (especially since we are the fiercest critic of the international court)," he said.
"Binastos ko sila. Binabastos nila tayo eh. (I was rude to them because they are humiliating us). I only bow to the Filipino people. I will not bow to anybody," he added. (SunStar Philippines)