MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday assailed the idea of him being tried before an international court, saying he will only subject himself to the laws of the Philippines.

Duterte's statement was apparently in reaction to news reports and observations that he could sued before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity due to his bloody war on drugs.

Confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hit man Edgar Matobato’s camp, for instance, said Duterte may be held liable for crimes against humanity for the “widespread and systemic” killings being linked to the government’s war on drugs.

But Duterte maintained he has done nothing wrong. He said, what he has only done is to threaten to kill drug criminals who are “destroying his country.”

“I think it is a very correct statement. I cannot see anything wrong there when you threaten criminals because you don’t want your country destroyed by drugs,” he said.

“Itong EU (European Union), itong human rights [groups], alam nila ang statement na iyan. (This EU, human rights groups, they know that statement). If it is not a crime in my country, how can you prosecute me before any other body? It has to start with the criminal laws of the land of which I am amenable because I’m a Filipino citizen. But unfortunately for them, wala (there is none).”

Matobato has told a Senate hearing that he carried out killings on orders of Duterte, a long-time Davao City mayor.

Duterte has denied knowing Matobato, saying the order he gave the policemen in Davao City was to kill criminals who “pose violent resistance.”

Aside from Matobato, Senator Leila de Lima has also raised the possibility that Duterte could be charged before the ICC.

Duterte argued, no foreign entity can question his style of governance in the same way he cannot question the US and its President Barack Obama over the killings linked to racial tensions in the US.

Duterte’s bloody war on drugs has earned him global condemnation, but the tough-talking president has remained defiant and rejected all kinds of criticism.

Data gathered by ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group states that there have been 2,029 drug-related killings from May 10 to October 11. Of the total number of killings, 1,190 were carried out by the police during legitimate operations, while 689 were attributed to unidentified assailants.

The bodies of the remaining 150 slain people were found away from the site where they were killed.