Philippines says Duterte can surrender to International Court
Remarks signal a shift in tone when Manila said it will not help in the drug war probe
The Philippine government will not object if former President Rodrigo Duterte decides to surrender to the International Criminal Court that's probing his drug war and signaled it may also cooperate with the international police.
Duterte, speaking at a House of Representatives inquiry on Wednesday, dared the international court to come to the country. "I am asking the ICC to hurry up. And if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow," Duterte said.
"If the former President desires to surrender himself to the jurisdiction of the ICC, the government will neither object to it nor move to block the fulfillment of his desire," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.
If the Hague-based tribunal refers the process to the Interpol and seeks the Philippine government's help, "the domestic law enforcement agencies shall be bound to accord full cooperation to the Interpol pursuant to established protocols," Bersamin added.
The remarks signal a shift in tone of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who has said that Manila will not help the ICC in its probe of Duterte's drug war. Marcos has said that the ICC has no jurisdiction on the Philippines which has functioning judicial and law enforcement mechanisms.
It also underscores the deepening rift between the Duterte family and Marcos over policy disagreements after teaming up in the 2022 election. Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, last month slammed Marcos' incompetence as a leader, in her sharpest criticism against him since their political alliance collapsed.
The ICC is investigating the ex-leader's anti-narcotics campaign that killed thousands for possible crime against humanity. The Philippine congress is also looking into alleged extra judicial killings under Duterte's crackdown.
More than 6,000 were killed during the Duterte administration's anti-narcotics campaign, based on government data, but human rights groups estimate a higher death toll, mostly among the poor.