Public remarks by Vice President Sara Duterte expressing a lack of trust in the nation’s judiciary could significantly weaken the legal defense of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the International Criminal Court (ICC), a legal expert said.
The elder Duterte’s defense team has consistently argued against the ICC’s jurisdiction over his anti-narcotics campaign, maintaining that the Philippine justice system is fully functional and capable of handling domestic cases under the principle of complementarity.
However, legal analyst Atty. Carlo Ybanez noted that the Vice President’s statements undermine that central argument.
” Eh ngayong mismong vice president at anak mismo ni former president Duterte ang nagsasabing wala siyang tiwala sa korte , napakalaki ng effect niyan sa ICC case,” Ybanez said.
“Kung si VP Sara mismo ang nagsabing hindi mapagkakatiwalaan ang sarili nating korte, paano niya ngayon ipagpipilitan na ang Philippine courts lang ang pagkatiwalaan at wah makialam dapat ang ICC?”
Ybanez added that the Hague-based tribunal closely monitors domestic political rhetoric, noting that the ICC has previously cited the Vice President’s statements in its past rulings.
The remarks could inadvertently reinforce the ICC’s position that local mechanisms are unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out investigations, potentially complicating the former president’s legal standing internationally, Ybanez warned. # (ZIA LUNA)
