Lawyers: Senate’s ICC reso does not matter

As the country reels from back-to-back disasters —several destructive cyclones and a deadly earthquake — the Senate chose this week to pass a resolution urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to place former president Rodrigo Duterte under house arrest for “humanitarian” reasons.

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The measure, approved by a slim majority, with15 votes in favor, three against, and two abstentions.

It was framed by its backers as a gesture of fairness. Senate Minority Leader Allan Cayetano, Duterte’s former foreign affairs chief, refused to discuss Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, saying the resolution was not about vengeance on Duterte, but justice.

But lawyers say the resolution has no real effect on Duterte’s fate at The Hague.

NO LEGAL WEIGHT

“The resolution carries no weight at all, as far as the ICC is concerned,” ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan told Philstar.com. “I think it was just passed to deflect public attention from the flood control scandal.”

Human rights lawyer Kristina Conti, who serves as assistant counsel at the ICC, agreed that the court will consider only matters of fact and law.