Morales, Del Rosario: Case vs China’s Xi to ‘check impunity’ in West PH Sea

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario (left) and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales (middle) speak at a press briefing on the complaint they filed against Chinese President Xi Jinping. PHOTO by Darryl John Esguerra/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The complaint filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Chinese President Xi Jinping is meant to “demand accountability” and “check impunity,” the two former government officials who lodged the case said Friday.

Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, one of the complainants, said that the complaint was filed to send a message to all Filipinos and protect fishermen from China.

“We demand accountability from those who destroy the marine areas and we want to check impunity as a deterrent to progress,” Morales said in a press briefing Friday.

“We are doing it for the marginalized fishermen…for us as a whole, and for other countries,” she added.

The other complainant, former Foreign Affairs chief Albert Del Rosario, also said that their complaint, technically called a communication, is aimed at addressing “impunity.”

“We see impunity and we do not know how to deal with it. I think that if we would explore avenues like the ICC…we deliver a message that we are not willing to wait for us to act on impunity,” the former top diplomat said.

Del Rosario and Morales also noted that in filing the case, they are seeking Xi’s imprisonment or reparation from the Chinese government over the destruction of marine resources and the loss of livelihood of Filipino fishermen.

The complaint was officially filed on March 15, just two days before the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC took effect.

In the complaint, the two former government officials urged the international tribunal to look into China’s “atrocious actions” in the South China Sea.

Xi and other Chinese officials should be held accountable for sanctioning the said activities, the complainants said. /ee

READ: Ex-DFA chief Del Rosario, Morales sue China’s Xi at ICC