MANILA, Philippines- Dapat na igalang ng International Criminal Court (ICC) ang criminal justice system ng Pilipinas.
“The ICC should respect our criminal justice system, understand its capability and limitations, and not presumptuously impose upon us time limits and procedures that ‘mirror’ its own,” ayon kay Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra.
Ang pahayag na ito ni Guevarra ay sa gitna ng panawagan kabilang na rin ang mula sa foreign government officials, na payagan ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas ang ICC na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon kaugnay sa mga pagpatay na resulta ng kampanya laban sa ilegal na droga.
May ulat na maging ang ilang Canadian officials ay hinihikayat ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas na “isumite ang sarili” sa ICC probe.
Tinuran ni Guevarra na ang Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) ay mayroong “consistently taken the position that the state has the primary duty of investigating and prosecuting crimes committed in its territory.”
“The role of the ICC is merely complementary, and unless there is a clear showing of unwillingness or inability on the part of Philippine government agencies and courts of law to administer justice, the ICC has no reason, much less authority, to take over the investigation in derogation of our status as a sovereign nation,” diing pahayag nito.
Noong nakaraang Enero 26, inanunsyo ng ICC ang “Pre-Trial Chamber I ng International Criminal Court (‘ICC’ o ‘Court’) pinagbigyan ang hiling ng prosecutor na ipagpatuloy ang imbestigasyon sa “Situation of the Republic of the Philippines (‘the Philippines’).”
“Following a careful analysis of the materials provided by the Philippines, the Chamber is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the Court’s investigations on the basis of the complementarity principle,” ang pahayag ng ICC sa kalatas nito.
Sinabi pa ng ICC na “After having examined the submissions and materials of the Philippine Government, and of the ICC Prosecutor, as well as the victim’s observations, the Chamber concluded that the various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the Court’s investigation.”
Tiniyak naman ni Guevarra na gagawa ng kaukulang hakbang ang OSG kontra sa pagkilos ng ICC.
“It is our intention to exhaust our legal remedies, more particularly elevating the matter to the ICC appeals chamber,” aniya pa rin. Kris Jose
