(Eagle News)– It is the “beginning of the end” for the International Criminal Court following the Philippines’ pullout, Malacañang said on Thursday.
“I’m afraid and what makes me sad is that the Philippine withdrawal, I’m sure, will start an avalanche of other states leaving the court,” Roque, who then hailed the country’s ratification of the treaty that establishes the ICC, said in a press conference.
He said this was because “no one will tolerate an unaccountable prosecutor conducting even a preliminary examination in brazen violation of the principle of complementarity.”
He said in particular, the Asian nations would no longer join the ICC because it was the Philippines in the first place that was trying to convince them to become a member of the tribunal.
He said as it is, the tribunal only counts with 124 countries as members out of 198 countries, or a “simple majority.”
“The major powers — the United States, Russia, China — are not even members to the court,” he said.
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the country’s withdrawal of its ratification of the Rome Statute, citing the tribunal’s “attacks” on his person and his administration.
The ICC had announced the conduct of a preliminary examination on the communication filed by lawyer Jude Sabio against Duterte over his drug war last year.
Senator Antonio Trillanes and Rep. Gary Alejano filed a supplemental complaint later on.
