Phl will respond 'favorably' to Interpol arrest request

ICC PROBE ON DUTERTE DRUG WAR

- HELEN FLORES

The Philippines will "respond favorably or positively" to a possible request from the Interpol to arrest personalities facing trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the deaths of thousands in the so-called war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin made this clear yesterday when asked whether the Marcos administration has changed its position on the ICC, which is investigating Duterte's bloody drug war.

"Hindi, ganito iyong sa ICC ano (No, it's like this with the ICC): we have withdrawn from the ICC, membership from the ICC, and that withdrawal is now already in effect. But we have been very clear in our statements regarding this. If the ICC makes a move, and courses the move through the Interpol and the Interpol makes the request to us for the arrest or delivery of the custody of a person subject to ICC jurisdiction, we will respond favorably or positively to the Interpol request, because we're also benefitting from the Interpol in other cases," Bersamin said at a press briefing after attending a budget forum in Pasay City.

Bersamin’s statement came after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in an interview with Reuters that the Marcos administration would sit down with the ICC and discuss “certain areas” of cooperation in the latter’s investigation on thousands of killings in the Duterte drug war.

He said disregarding a request from the Interpol might boomerang on the Philippines if the time comes that it would have to turn to Interpol for help.

“That’s comity – being friends, being cooperative – you know what that means,” the executive secretary said.

Bersamin said it was not clear in which areas the Philippines and the ICC would cooperate, as mentioned by the justice secretary.