‘No ICC comeback for PH’ despite Garma’s drug war exposé – Bersamin

A view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will not rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC),  Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Monday.

Bersamin made this statement amid calls for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to submit the recent House quadcomm investigation findings—including retired police colonel Royina Garma’s exposé—to the ICC as part of its case build-up on crimes against humanity allegedly committed during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.”

During the investigation, Garma dropped a bombshell that Duterte allegedly offered cash rewards for every drug suspect killed in his administration’s war on drugs.

READ: Garma bares monetary reward range under ‘Davao drug war template’

“The Philippines will not return to [the] ICC,” Bersamin told Palace reporters through Viber.

“Based on this, the [P]resident is not expected to change his mind and now refer the quadcomm matter to the ICC,” he added.

It was the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) that urged Marcos to “submit the quadcomm investigation materials to the ICC for inclusion in the prosecution’s case build-up on crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines.”

READ: Garma’s drug war exposé just ‘tip of the iceberg’ – lawmakers

“The ICC must take cognizance of any material and relevant information about the ‘war on drugs,’” the NUPL said.

It also noted how Garma’s testimony established “a pattern in the killings” and pointed to the “most responsible behind all the incidents.”

“Her statement ties up why all those senseless killings on the ground happened, and on another hand, why policemen are complicit and willful participants,” it said.

“Hers is a powerful testament to Duterte’s murderous schemes, from Davao to the rest of the country, that confirms other statements made by insiders as well. It is damning evidence, and hopefully, the first of many,” it added.

During Duterte’s term and the infamous drug war, government records show that at least 6,200 drug suspects have died in legitimate anti-drug operations.

However, many human rights groups claim that the actual number of individuals slain during the drug war can be between 12,000 to 30,000.

A University of the Philippines (UP) study on July 23, 2021, even revealed that the drug war had killed an estimated two people each day.