Press Release
August 23, 2011

EXPLANATION OF YES VOTE ON THE RATIFICATION OF THE
ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL
COURT (SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 546)

I vote for the concurrence of the Senate to the Statue of the International Criminal Court for the following reasons:

First, our commitment to participate in the global accountability mechanisms provided by the ICC affirms our long-entrenched constitutional and jurisprudential traditions to protect against, and punish the commission of, serious international crimes. Through membership in the ICC, we will uphold our acceptance of international human rights and humanitarian law principles as part of the law of the land under the Incorporation Clause of the 1987 Constitution.

Second, membership in the ICC provides us the opportunity to access international justice in the event that we lack resources to directly prosecute serious international crimes, without impinging upon the primacy of our national courts. It is a measure that allows us to prevent Philippine territory from inadvertently becoming a refuge for international criminals.

Third, Philippine membership in the International Criminal Court will open access to the Philippines' international criminal law experts to participate in the international bench and bar, as well as for our local prosecutors and judges to profit from learning exchanges with the ICC.

Fourth, membership in the ICC will provide us with a forum for depoliticized, independent and transparent investigation and prosecution of serious international crimes.

The passage of this statute will enable our direct participation in the global accountability mechanism set up under this treaty and we will now become an active participant in the formation of new international law norms. We can be a coauthor of that and it will enlarge our own body of Constitutional law. With that convergence, this will enhance our own domestic laws, as well as enhance the skills of our international justice experts in the field.

News Latest News Feed