By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra stated that the final decision regarding the Philippines’ return to the International Criminal Court (ICC) lies with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Your resolutions urge the President to cooperate, but the ultimate decision on whether the government will indeed cooperate rests with the President,” Guevarra remarked when asked about how Marcos would respond to resolutions filed by House members.
“Your resolution is an expression of sentiment. It reflects your feelings about it. However, the actual decision rests with the President, whether he chooses to grant your request. Nasa kanya po iyon,” Guevarra emphasized during deliberations in the House of Representatives.
Guevarra, who served as Justice Secretary during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, also highlighted that the country has no legal obligation to cooperate with the ICC.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that the country’s return to the ICC would undergo a process, as mentioned by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“If you want to rejoin, it will still go through a process,” Dela Rosa stated. “After the president’s ratification, it has to be concurred by the Senate with a two-thirds vote. So that’s the process. Back to zero, back to square one,” he added.
However, former Senate President Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said the decision to return to the fold of the Rome Statute of the ICC lies solely with the president of the land, needing no concurrence from the Upper Chamber.
Current Senate President Migz Zubiri seconded this observation in a separate media interview also on Tuesday.
(ai/mnm)