BICOL Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon today stated that the Philippines, as a non-party state to the Rome Statute, has no obligation to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), including on matters related to the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Ridon emphasized that the Philippines’ obligation to cooperate with the ICC ceased on March 17, 2019, one year after former president Duterte announced the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute. He cited former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano’s statement at the time, describing the withdrawal as “a principled stand against those who politicize and weaponize human rights.”
“The calls for the Philippine government to cooperate with the ICC on president Duterte’s release are based on a misunderstanding of the Philippines’ legal standing,” Ridon explained.
“Had the Duterte administration not withdrawn from the Rome Statute, an interim release or house arrest within a Philippine facility abroad might have been a possibility. However, that possibility no longer exists due to the withdrawal.”
Ridon’s statement comes in response to recent calls from some senators urging the government to cooperate with the ICC on Duterte’s case.
