Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao said he will allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to enter the country and pursue its probe on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

During his interview with talk show host Boy Abunda, Pacquiao, who was formerly aligned with Duterte, said he will welcome the ICC as long as it respects the country's sovereignty.

"Papayagan natin sila na mag-investigate sila sa atin basta hindi maabuso ang sovereignty natin," he said. "Hindi maaapakan ang ating kababayang Pilipino, madedepensahan ang ating mga kababayan."

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Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2018 and has repeatedly said that his administration will not cooperate with any investigation.

But the court insisted it has jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed while the country was a member and up until 2019.

The ICC later paused the probe to assess the Philippines’ request to defer to the probe.

The court wanted to look into crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between 2011 and 2019 as part of Duterte’s controversial “war on drugs”, as well as atrocities around Davao when he was the city’s vice mayor.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, vowed to continue Duterte's war on drugs "in the right way."

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In his version, human rights will be respected, he said.

"Extrajudicial killings" will be prevented by requiring policemen to wear body cameras while conducting anti-drug operations.

"Ang maiiba, hindi yung labagin mo ang karapatan ng ibang tao. Halimbawa magreraid ka, magaaresto ka, Kailangan may bodycam ang bawat opisyal na magaaresto para makita ang totoo," said Pacquiao.

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