Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday, July 9, justified the Philippines’ exit from the International Criminal Court (ICC), likening it to a ‘fairy tale endeavor.’
“Better we stick to real science instead of fairy tale endeavors like the ICC which like the Queen in Alice in Wonderland cries out, ‘First the judgment, then the trial.’ Why I got us out. I will keep doing that,” he posted on Twitter.
His statement was in response to the Philippines securing a seat by acclamation in the 40-member International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Executive Council, which is under the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the period 2019-2021.
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC on March 17, a year after the Philippines formally submitted its letter of withdrawal from the Rome Statute — the founding treaty of the ICC — after a preliminary examination into the alleged crimes against humanity of President Rodrigo Duterte and his men was launched by the tribunal’s chief prosecutor.
The court, however, can still investigate alleged crimes against humanity in relation to the president’s anti-drug campaign.
According to ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, the court retains its jurisdiction over crimes committed in the context of the war on drugs even after its withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
Earlier this year, Malacañang said ICC investigators would be barred from entering the country if they insist on probing the alleged extrajudicial killings tied to Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.
