By Gabriel Kim Leal
(September 26, 2024) – Solicitor general Menardo Guevarra on Thursday reiterated that the government’s position on non-cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) remains unchanged.
Guevarra maintained that cooperation with the ICC, which is looking into the brutal war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is ultimately Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s call.
“Walang change doon sa position na binitiwan ng presidente many months ago. In fact, he has repeated ‘yung statement na ‘yun over and over to the effect that the Philippines has no legal duty to cooperate dahil nga nag-disengage na tayo from the ICC way back in 2019,” said Guevarra on One News PH’s Storycon.
According to the Rome Statute, the ICC still exercises jurisdiction over crimes that happened in a country while it was still a member. The cruel war on drugs began in 2016. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2018 before it officially took effect in 2019.
Some political analysts posited that Marcos might reverse his stance after his falling out with Vice Pres. Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the ICC must consult with local courts before taking any action in the country. This came following reports that an arrest warrant might be issued against Duterte, Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, and several police officers due to the bloody war on drugs, which reportedly killed 30,000 individuals.
Despite the government’s position, Guevarra, who served as DOJ secretary under Duterte, clarified that the ICC is always free to investigate.
“Wala namang makakapigil sa prosecutor ng ICC to conduct his investigations because he can do it abroad, he can do it by email, he can do it by phone conversation,” added Guevarra. “We cannot prevent him from doing or performing his mandate.”
ALSO READ: ‘Sa ICC ka magpaliwanag’: House leaders challenge Dela Rosa to face drug war probe
He also noted that they cannot prevent witnesses from cooperating with the ICC.
“’Di namin mauutusan ‘yan na huwag kayo sumagot, ‘wag kayo mag-cooperate,” said Guevarra.
(PM)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.