By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday said International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators may come to the Philippines, but his government would not help in their probe of the state’s deadly drug war.

“The Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” he told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City, based on a video sent via Viber.

“As ordinary people, they can come and visit the Philippines, but we won’t help them,” he added, reiterating that he sees the investigation as a threat to Philippine sovereignty.

“In fact, we are monitoring them (ICC officials), making sure that they do not come into contact with any agency of the government,” Mr. Marcos said in mixed English and Filipino.

In January last year, the Hague-based tribunal reopened its probe of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte for alleged “crimes against humanity,” saying it was not satisfied with Philippine efforts to probe human rights abuses during the period.

In November, the President said his government is considering rejoining the ICC. He had ruled out cooperation, saying the probe violates Philippine sovereignty given the country’s fully functioning justice system.

Mr. Duterte canceled Philippine membership in the ICC in 2018 amid criticisms that his government had systematically murdered drug suspects in police raids. It took a year later.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said the ICC had yet to inform them of its investigators’ visit, noting that the government is not legally bound to cooperate with the probe.

“As such, any presence of international bodies, such as the ICC, within our jurisdiction must be in accordance with our Constitution and relevant laws,” it said in a statement. “The Philippine government has shown that it is ready, willing and able to investigate and prosecute any crimes committed within its territory.”

The ICC must first secure consent and approval from the DoJ, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Interior and Local Government before it starts its probe, the DoJ said.

“The ICC is an independent body exercising jurisdiction conferred on them under the Rome Statue and they can exercise the same with or without cooperation from any government,” Ephraim B. Cortez, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), said in a Viber message.

He said the probe was not an affront to the country’s sovereignty since the Philippines was still a member of the ICC when the extralegal killings were committed.

The ICC also wants to probe vigilante-style killings in Davao City when Mr. Duterte was still its vice mayor and mayor.

The Philippine Supreme Court in 2021 dismissed a petition seeking to void the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019. It said the petition was moot since the international court had accepted the country’s withdrawal.

The High Court said withdrawing membership does not remove liability for extralegal killings committed in Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs.

“I repeat my admonition to all those who have legitimate complaints about any abuses committed during the war on drugs: our own national institutions are ready to investigate and prosecute all those who have violated the law,” Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra, who was Mr. Duterte’s Justice chief, told reporters in a Viber message.

He told a House of Representatives justice and human rights hearing in November that the Philippines is not legally bound to follow the High Court ruling, saying it “may be persuasive, but not the doctrinal ruling of the court.”

European Union lawmakers have urged the Philippine government to rejoin the ICC to reinforce its commitment to human rights.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla earlier told the United Nations Human Rights Council the Philippines could probe erring officials without the ICC’s help.

The government estimates that at least 6,117 suspected drug dealers had been killed in police operations. Human rights groups say as many as 30,000 suspects died.

“What the ICC investigators need is to be able to perform their function without interference from the government,” NUPL’s Mr. Cortez said. “They have the competence to gather evidence based on their experience and training.”

PHILIPPINE senators on Tuesday opposed a proposal for both chambers of Congress to vote jointly to change the 1987 Constitution, saying senators could not cast meaningful votes against more than 300 congressmen.

“If this people’s initiative prospers, further changes in the Constitution will open the floodgates to a wave of amendments and revisions that will erode the nation as we know it,” according to a statement signed by all senators and read by Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri in plenary.

Last week, Mr. Zubiri said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. had asked the upper chamber to lead the review of the Constitution’s economic provisions, saying the President thought a people’s initiative push is too divisive.

The Senate president said a joint voting on charter change (“Cha-cha”) would “destabilize the system of checks and balances.”

“It is ridiculous that the Senate, a co-equal member of the House, which is needed to pass even local bills, will have a dispensable and diluted role in Charter change, the most monumental act of policymaking concerning the highest law of the land,” according to the Senate statement.

The People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action earlier released a TV ad advocating Charter change, saying farmers, students and local businesses did not benefit from the 1987 Constitution.

Senator and presidential sister Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos earlier said as much as P20 million was offered to districts in several provinces that could deliver 20,000 signatures in favor of Charter change.

Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman also said P100 was allegedly given to voters who signed a petition in favor of amending the Constitution through a people’s initiative.

Senate Majority Leader Joel J. Villanueva has said Charter change would not solve the country’s problems. “The Constitution cannot simply be tampered, changed or amended, but this doesn’t mean that it’s perfect,” he said in a statement in Filipino on Monday.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said it is crucial to revisit the Constitution to boost foreign capital and investments, but denounced the alleged vote-buying campaign.

“The House of Representatives stands committed to providing a transparent and accountable framework to support the people’s initiative, ensuring that it remains a true representation of the people’s collective will,” he said.

Mr. Marcos said he would leave it to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to verify signature campaigns allegedly used to buy votes in favor of amending the Constitution.   

“We will just let Comelec do their job, do their work to validate the signatures and if there’s a suspicion, then the signatures won’t be counted,” he told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City.

The President said last month efforts were under way to revisit the economic provisions of the Constitution. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has ordered the reorganization of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to boost cybersecurity efforts.

Under Executive Order (EO) 54 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin on Jan. 19, the President also ordered the creation of an Office of the Deputy Director General for Cyber- and Emerging Threats who will work on counter-intelligence measures.

“There is a need to reorganize the NICA to adapt to the evolving threats to national security and ensure a more vigorous intelligence collection, intensify internal and external coordination with foreign and domestic counterparts,” according to a copy of the order uploaded on the Official Gazette website.

The President cited the need to assess intelligence and security.

The NICA assistant secretary will head the office and will plan and supervise measures against cyber-security threats and weapons of mass destruction, according to the order.

The Philippines ranked second among countries with the most cyber-attacks worldwide in 2022, Kaspersky said in March.

Last year, the country faced 2.4 million brute force or trial-and-error attacks among remote workers, 52,914 financial phishing cases among businesses, 24,737 crypto-phishing cases, 15,732 mobile malware cases and 50 Trojan virus cases, according to data from Kaspersky.

In a July 2023 study, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said there were 182,729 suspicious transactions linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children worth P1.56 billion from 2020 to 2022.

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John E. Uy earlier said the Philippines only had 200 certified cyber-security experts in 2022.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines in October said it was considering creating a cyber-command to improve the country’s defenses against cyber-attacks. — John Victor D. Ordoñez