📷Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla
THE Philippine government may not be obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the country is no longer part of it but has a standing commitment to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), says Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla.
In a statement released in response to Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s most recent tirade, Remulla said that Interpol is a separate and different from the ICC which has been investigating on allegations of mass execution under a drug war perpetrated by the previous administration, where the legislator served as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.
Prior to the DOJ chief’s statement, dela Rosa demanded Remulla and Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra to issue a clarification on whether or not they’re “challenging the policy set by the President” concerning the ICC.
“Again, we are not members of ICC but iba kasing commitment ng Interpol. Wala na tayo commitment sa ICC, pero ang Interpol may commitment tayo tsaka far-reaching yan kailangan natin tandaan na there are more than 10 million Filipinos going around the world right now na baka kailangan ng tulong ng Interpol,” the DOJ chief told reporters in a press briefing.
According to Remulla, Interpol, which he claimed to be protecting Filipinos from around the globe, is an essential partner of the Philippines – “Kaya, we value Interpol over a lot of other fields because we have to protect our people throughout the world. Interpol is very important to us in that regard.”
Previously, Remulla said that the government would not stop the Interpol from making an arrest of personalities tagged as “suspects” in the case filed by the relatives of slain drug suspects during the previous administration.
Remulla then reminded dela Rosa that Interpol is a sanctioned body which facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control.
“We are not in the business of blocking any movement at Interpol,” the DOJ chief averred.
Even before Remulla came out with his statement, Guevarra made a categorical stand — that the government won’t get in the way of the ICC from investigating people it considers suspects in its drug war case, even as he hinted at the imminent arrival of an ICC prosecutor to collate testimonies from then “persons of interest.”
Among the “persons of interest” being referred to then by Guevarra include dela Rosa himself and his former subordinates. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
