By GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte has announced the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statue, that created the International Criminal Court, in protest of the supposed lack of respect and clear bias against his administration.
In a 15-page statement released to the media, the President said the international court has been utilized as a “political tool against the Philippines” as he denounced the “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him and his administration.
“Given the baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person as well as against my administration, engineered by the officials of the United Nations, as well as the attempt by the International Criminal Court prosecutor to place my person within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, in violation of due process and the presumption of innocence expressly guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and recognized no less by the Rome Statue, I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as President of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statue effective immediately,” Duterte said.
The Philippines ratified the Rome Statute back in 2011.
Duterte said the Philippines was made to believe that the principle of complementarity, due process, presumption of innocence, would prevail.
But he pointed out that the actions of UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and UN high Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein showed “international bias and refusal” of some members of the international community to support the country’s efforts at self-determination, national building and independence from foreign influence and control.
“Given that the ICC shows a propensity for failing to give due respect to the State Parties fo the Rome Statue and that there is clear bias on the part of the UN against the Philippines, the Philippines may very well consider withdrawing from the Rome Statute,” he said.
