International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators may be barred from entering the Philippines to interview witnesses in connection with the controversial drug war of the previous administration.
According to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, the Marcos administration remains firm in its stance not to recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Philippines.
Guevarra stated that the investigators could be classified as “undesirable aliens” if they insist on entering the country and conducting interviews related to the ongoing investigation into alleged crimes against humanity by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
He also noted that any potential arrest warrant issued by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber would need to go through diplomatic channels, specifically the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), before being acted upon.
If President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. refuses to cooperate with the ICC, the DFA will not transmit the warrant to law enforcement agencies responsible for executing it.
Guevarra further explained that even if the ICC seeks the help of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the international police body cannot enforce the warrant as it has no policing authority.
Should Interpol receive the warrant, it will still be forwarded to the Philippine National Police (PNP), which falls under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), an agency directly supervised by President Marcos.