FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte called the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to proceed with the preliminary investigation on the war on drugs campaign an "insult" to the country.
"You are insulting," Duterte said during his weekly program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa aired on SMNI News Monday evening, January 30.
The former President said it bars him from his duty to protect his constituents.
“Since when was it a crime for the head of a sovereign state to threaten criminals? Is there a law against a president uttering such hostile words?” Duterte asked, adding that he did not issue an order to kill specific persons.
He added, "What I said [is] that if you destroy my country, I will kill you. I never said you kill Mr. Santos or whoever,” he said. “It was an all-out war; if it resulted in a killing, I’m sorry. It was how the game was played. There is always a confrontation.”
Duterte also said that the war against drugs had resulted in not only the death of alleged criminals but also his police personnel who were killed in the line of duty.
“I have lost several policemen during my term, during buy-bust operations, and you think only of the criminals. Me, I think of my country first. I think of my countrymen who are law-abiding citizens. Then maybe how I would eradicate criminals,” Duterte said.
He also questioned ICC’s authority to conduct investigations in the country.
“You cannot just intrude in the country and start the investigation because that is a function of the sovereign state,” Duterte said.
“If you don't have permission from the state, from congress or president, you don't have business in conducting investigation here,” he added.
The former chief executive told them to do their investigation outside the country. If they would defy, expect that they would face legal problems.
“Do it outside, but if you come here to summon people, sending them summons or subpoena, or whatever, in the name of your court, you are just looking for trouble. And if you are looking for trouble, trouble will come,” he said.
ICC judges on January 26 cleared the way for the court's prosecution office to resume its investigation into the so-called war on drugs in the Philippines.
Prosecutor Karim Khan asked judges for permission last year to reactivate his inquiry into alleged crimes against humanity between Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, which were linked to the deadly crackdown.
The investigation was suspended in late 2021 after the Philippines said it was already examining the crimes and argued that the ICC — a court of last resort — therefore didn't have jurisdiction.
Khan argued last year that he should be allowed to reopen the ICC investigation, saying Manila's request for the case to be deferred to authorities there “is not warranted.”
A panel of judges agreed on their ruling on Thursday, after examining information from the Philippine government and Khan, and weighing comments from victims.
“The various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete, and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the court’s investigation," the judges said.
This came despite the earlier request of the Philippine government not to continue with the probe, noting that national authorities were investigating or had already investigated the cases, and that the ICC has no jurisdiction over it since the Duterte administration has already withdrawn membership in the Rome Statute that established the ICC. RGL with reports from SunStar Philippines