Jennelyn Olaires hugs the dead body of her partner Michael Siaron, a pedicab driver, at LRT EDSA Rotonda in Pasay City, Metro Manila in 2016. Siaron was killed by unidentified gunmen. Basilio Sepe, ABS-CBN News/file  MANILA — The two members of the Senate minority bloc are calling on government to have the Philippines rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that one said would "correct a monumental mistake" by the Duterte administration.

"In the first place, the withdrawal from the ICC was prompted only by the selfish interests of former President [Rodrigo] Duterte," Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.

"Para isalba ang sarili, pinahamak niya ang buong bansa at inalis sa mga Pilipino ang napakahalagang mekanismo ng katarungan," she emphasized.

(To protect himself, he put the country in peril and deprived Filipinos of a very important mechanism for justice)

The Philippines left the ICC in 2019 in response to a preliminary inquiry into alleged abuses in the government's drug war. The Palace said then that the Rome Statute had never been validly ratified because it was not published in a newspaper, a requirement for laws but not for treaties.

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Hontiveros also referenced Duterte's supposed "admissions" in the Senate hearing, which his allies played down as jokes as she pointed out what she said was lack of accountability in alleged extrajudicial killings in the drug war.

"Why should we abandon our international commitments just so Duterte can avoid accountability for his crimes? Kung talagang may pagpapahalaga si Presidente Marcos sa hustisya at rule of law, sana ay itama niya ang mali ni Duterte at ibalik ang bansa sa ICC," Hontiveros added.

(If President Marcos Jr. truly values justice and the rule of law, then we hope that he corrects Duterte's error and bring the Philippines back to the ICC)

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PIMENTEL: ICC IS 'INSURANCE' VS ABUSIVE LEADER

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III earlier floated the idea of rejoining the ICC. Pimentel is chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee that has so far held one hearing into alleged EJKs in Duterte's war on drugs.

He made this appeal before members of the diplomatic community during a foreign policy address at the Department of Foreign Affairs last week.

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“Let us rejoin the ICC. We should treat this our 'insurance policy' just in case 'our system' fails us and we get to elect an abusive, tyrannical, heartless leader, and our justice system fails us too,” he said in his speech.

The ICC is meant to be a court of last resort for then a government cannot or will not act on alleged abuses and crimes against humanity.

"We are monitoring the (House) quad comm, and here in the Senate, we also have an investigation. We’ve seen that in the worst-case scenario where our systems fail, such as when our democratic system elects a killer as a leader, one without conscience or compassion, and our justice system is slow to respond. In those events, it’s best to have an ‘insurance policy,’" Pimentel said.

Senator Joel Villanueva meanwhile expressed openness to discuss the motion to rejoin the ICC.

"Well, we can look into it. In fact 'di ba sinasabi nga natin naging mahabang discussion 'yan last Congress," Villanueva said.

"We're open but at the same time we really have to look into the details and find out kung ano ba talaga 'yung mas beneficiary sa atin," he added.

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