Marcos firm on non-cooperation with ICC over Duterte drug war probe

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former President Rodrigo Duterte FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reiterated that the Philippines would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it were to investigate the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.

In an ambush interview on Thursday, Marcos was asked for a comment on ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for the ICC during a House Quad committee hearing on Wednesday to immediately begin its probe into alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s war on drugs.

Marcos responded, “We do not cooperate with the ICC; that is the position of this government.”

READ: Palace: Duterte free to surrender to ICC if he wishes

He also echoed Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin’s statement following Duterte’s remarks that the government will “neither object to” nor “move to block” Duterte if he surrenders himself to the ICC.

Bersamin added that if the ICC requests Interpol to issue a red notice for Duterte and send it to the Philippines, the government would not stand in the way.

“We will not block the ICC. We just won’t help. But if he [Duterte] agrees, he talks to them, or he allows to [be] investigated at the ICC, that’s up to him. It’s not our decision,” said Marcos.

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Asked whether the government will comply if the Interpol issues a red notice, Marcos said: “We have obligations to the Interpol. And we have to live up to those obligations.”