Senator says: Leaving ICC needs Senate concurrence

Senator De Lima stressed that the Philippines should continue to stand with democratic countries in stopping basic human rights violations. (Photo: Jess Escaros Jr./PNA)

MANILA—After President Rodrigo R. Duterte threatened to withdraw the Philippines’ participation in the International Criminal Court (ICC), a senator said on Thursday that it could not happen without final word from the Senate.

“He (President Duterte) knows too well that he could not unilaterally rescind the country’s commitment to such an important international treaty without the concurrence of the Senate,” Senator Leila de Lima said in a statement.

President Duterte, before leaving for Lima, Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leader’s Summit, said that he might follow Russia’s lead in cutting the country’s ties with ICC after its prosecutor expressed alarm over alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the administration’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

De Lima stressed that the Philippines should continue to stand with democratic countries in stopping basic human rights violations.

“As the chief architect of the country’s foreign policy, the President should be well-advised to honor and abide by the Philippines’ obligations to international agreements and conventions that promote and safeguard the full respect to human rights and the dignity of our people,” she said.

“It is his –- and our duty as a nation and as a people -– that the gravest crimes, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, are not tolerated,” she added.

The neophyte senator also urged the President and his foreign policy and security advisers to consult with the Senate and even the public before making “a very crucial decision on matters of national and international importance.”