During a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reiterated the Philippines’ stance that the International Criminal Court (ICC) lacks jurisdiction over the country, emphasizing its robust judicial system and law enforcement mechanisms.
President Marcos asserted the government’s position on the ICC’s perceived encroachment into the Philippine judicial system, characterizing it as an issue that requires attention. He conveyed to Chancellor Scholz, “That is something that we now have to deal with,” highlighting the conflict in jurisdiction stemming from the ICC’s establishment under different circumstances.
“Well, there is now a conflict between – in terms of jurisdiction because, in our opinion, the ICC was created when a country has no judiciary, no functioning judiciary, no police force to enforce peace and order; enforce law,” President Marcos explained during the meeting.
Citing the Philippines’ functional judiciary and robust military and police forces dedicated to upholding the rule of law, President Marcos criticized the ICC’s intervention in the country’s judicial process as a mistake. He emphasized that the Philippines is capable of conducting its own investigations and affirmed ongoing efforts in this regard.
President Marcos articulated, “But as a matter of principle, it is very difficult for the Philippines to accept that an outside court will, shall I say, dictate to our policemen, ‘who they will investigate, who they will arrest and who will say, that hey, because we don’t need that advice’.”
Asserting the abundance of legal expertise within the Philippines, President Marcos remarked, “there are too many lawyers in the Philippines already” for the ICC to warrant further intervention.
The bilateral meeting between President Marcos and Chancellor Scholz coincided with the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Germany diplomatic relations, formally established on October 8, 1954, underscoring the enduring ties between the two nations.
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AMA ACLC San Pablo
