For at least the second time, senatorial candidate Salvador Panelo repeated a wrong claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has “no jurisdiction” to investigate alleged crimes against humanity associated with President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
STATEMENT
Interviewed over the ABS-CBN News Channel last April 7, Panelo was asked to comment on critics saying that Duterte’s allies, such as himself, were “running only to protect the president” from the ICC probe of the drug war once he steps down.
The former spokesperson and chief legal counsel of the president replied:
“Well, for one, I’ve been saying, and the president (Duterte) has been saying, that the ICC has no jurisdiction simply because the Constitution, as well as the Civil Code, provides that before a law can be enforced, that must be found and published in the Official Gazette.”
Source: ANC 24/7 Official Youtube Channel, Headstart: PH Senatorial aspirant Salvador Panelo | ANC, April 7, 2022, watch from 10:05 to 10:26
He added:
“And the Rome Statute that created [the] ICC has never been published. Hence, there is no law to be enforced, necessarily, there is no jurisdiction on the part of ICC to come in.”
Source: watch from 10:27 to 10:42
FACT
The ICC retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes covered by the Rome Statute committed in the Philippines while it was a state party from Nov. 1, 2011, until its withdrawal, which took effect on March 17, 2019.
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.
