By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) reaffirmed its independence after Vice President Sara Duterte accused the tribunal of acting as a “lapdog” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in pursuing the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement sent to media, ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet said the court performs its mandate “independently and impartially” under the Rome Statute, its founding treaty. She declined to comment further on Duterte’s remarks.
The Vice President made the statements while addressing supporters outside the ICC headquarters in The Hague after visiting her detained father. She claimed the tribunal had become a tool of the Marcos administration and Trillanes, who was among those who sought an ICC investigation into the former president’s anti-drug campaign.
Sara Duterte also alleged that her father had become the ICC’s “poster boy,” insisting the tribunal had focused on his case because it lacked other active prosecutions.
However, records from the court show that the ICC currently has several suspects in custody facing charges involving crimes against humanity and war crimes, including Libyan militia commander Khaled Mohammed El Hishri.
Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to stand trial on Nov. 30 over allegations of crimes against humanity linked to deaths during his administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.
Trillanes dismissed the Vice President’s accusations, saying the ICC conducted a years-long investigation before filing charges. Human rights lawyer Gilbert Andres, representing victims before the ICC, also urged respect for the judicial process and said justice, truth, and accountability remain the primary concerns of the victims.
Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro described Duterte’s latest remarks against the ICC as “baseless, pointless and useless.”
The Vice President also disclosed that her 81-year-old father is generally in good condition while in ICC detention, although he is receiving treatment for a skin condition. She said detention center doctors had applied medication to reddish, pimple-like skin lesions, adding that his diabetes makes proper treatment especially important.
elamigo/xf
