The Commission on Human Rights continues to view the unilateral withdrawal of the Philippine President from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a reversal of the country’s commitment to international treaty obligations, particularly in ending impunity, and a step back from the gains the Philippines has achieved in promoting justice and human rights.
In the end, it is the Filipino people who is bound to lose when they no longer have the recourse in times when local justice systems fail in protecting them. It is then impunity that wins as a consequence of withdrawal. The task before the Philippine government is to show—beyond words—that it is willing to investigate, prosecute, and punish perpetrators of alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the government’s anti-drug war. The best way to move forward is to cooperate in ICC’s preliminary examination and demonstrate its commitment in ending impunity, rather than blocking avenues in seeking justice—and perhaps reconsider its withdrawal from the Rome Statute as stronger sign of its dedication to the rule of law and human rights.