MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Thursday emphasized that "human rights platforms should not be politicized" in response to participating countries in the US-hosted Summit for Democracy made reference to the International Criminal Court.
In the statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it "disassociates" from the part of the declaration that noted "the important role played by the ICC as a permanent and impartial tribunal complementary to national jurisdictions in advancing accountability for the most serious crimes under international law."
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"While the current language provides a qualifier that the ICC’s role may be acknowledged provided it abides by the principle of complementarity, the Philippines’ earlier decision to withdraw from the ICC was precisely because the Court failed the test of complementarity," the Philippines, which has rejected ICC jurisdiction over alleged crimes against humanity in the "war on drugs", said.
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This comes after the ICC Appeals Chamber denied the Philippines’ request to suspend its investigation into "drug war" deaths.
The Philippines withdrew the country’s ratification of the Rome Statute in 2018 after the court wanted to investigate the country’s "drug war."
Withdrawal came into effect in 2019 but does not affect jurisdiction on abuses that may have been done while the Philippines was a party to the treaty.
Summit for Democracy
Washington hosted this year’s Summit for Democracy, with a mostly virtual attendance of 121 world leaders. The DFA said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. participated via a recorded video message.
The Philippines said its participation is "a testament to our unwavering commitment to upholding our democratic values and principles." However, the Human Rights Watch said its refusal to cooperate with the ICC does not reflect its statements.
"The international community should not be fooled by the Philippine’s government's duplicity and rhetoric," HRW Asia Director Elaine Pearson said in a statement.
"The Marcos administration’s avowed commitments to protect human rights and fight impunity will be shown by whether it cooperates with the ICC’s investigation."
The US promised nearly $690 million to support global democracies, higher than the $424 million commitment promised during the first summit in 2021.
The new funding will back programs to stage free elections, advance independent media and strengthen action against corruption.
READ: Biden, seeing 'turning point' for democracy, offers funding push at summit
With the emphasis on the ICC’s importance, Manila stressed that the domestic justice system remains intact. In arguing against the ICC probe, the Philippines has repeatedly said that it is conducting its own investigations into the drug war deaths. There have been convictions in two cases of "drug war" related deaths so far while authorities have said further investigation is ongoing in other cases.
"The Philippines likewise reiterates its view that human rights-related dialogues and platforms must not be politicized and targeted against specific countries and instead be constructive, inclusive, and directed at delivering meaningful, long-lasting solutions," the DFA said. – with reports from Agence France-Presse /Shaun Tandon