MANILA — The House Quad Committee will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte regarding his administration’s bloody drug war, according to its Lead Co-Chairperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.

The Surigao Del Norte solon said not even a subpoena from the ICC will compel the Quad Comm to do so, but it is free to access the livestreamed copy online of the hearings conducted by the mega-panel.

As of Monday, the Quad Comm has yet to receive any letter or coordination from the ICC requesting for information gathered from the House hearings.

“We are not cooperating, we are not coordinating, and we’re not giving any information that was elicited from the Quad Comm hearings… We are not a member of the ICC, therefore, we are not obliged,” Barbers told the media in an interview on Monday.

“We cannot be subjected to a subpoena. Maybe they can coordinate with the national government, perhaps with our DOJ,” he added.

“If they can access the records in the social media platforms, let them do it that way. But asking the participation of the Quad Comm, I’m sorry, but we cannot, because we are not a member of the ICC,” Barbers noted.

Last December, the House of Representatives adopted the recommendations of its Quad Committee to file criminal complaints against Duterte over alleged extrajudicial killings in his administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Barbers said he is in favor of the Philippines returning to the ICC’s fold, but also stressed that such decision is a prerogative of the President.

“Pabor ako sa ICC membership ng Pilipinas… in cases where there should be someone, who would look into, say, the delivery of justice to those who are oppressed, those who are victims of crimes that have never been tried in the state or in a country where there is a clear failure of the judiciary,” he explained.

Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives reiterated on Monday their call for the country to rejoin the ICC.

"The Duterte trial at the ICC demonstrates precisely why the Philippines must rejoin this crucial international body. Justice for the thousands of victims of the bloody war on drugs would not have been possible without the ICC's intervention after our domestic justice system failed them," House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro said in a statement.

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BUDOLTERTE?

House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega, meanwhile, called for a stop to the “drama” regarding Duterte’s case at the ICC.

“Tama na ang budolterte o pambubudol sa tao. Hindi ito eleksyon, hindi ito propaganda war, at mas lalong hindi ito fake news. Huwag gawing drama ang isang seryosong paglilitis,” he said in a statement.

“Hindi pwede ang mga theatrics ni Medialdea sa ICC. The judge saw right through his statements. It even made him look amateurish when he tried to invoke political persecution instead of addressing the charges directly,” Ortega added.

Former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, acting as Duterte’s counsel, raised a manifestation questioning his client’s detention and claimed that the former president had been kidnapped by the Philippine government, a claim that the Palace has rejected and the court said could be raised at a later time.

“Kung may malakas silang depensa, dapat doon sila magfocus. Pero ang nangyari, pinilit nilang gawing politikal ang paglilitis, at halatang hindi ito umubra sa ICC… The ICC is not a political arena – it is a court of law. Let Duterte’s lawyers prove his innocence there, not in press conferences,” Ortega said.

“Let the truth come out. If Duterte believes he is innocent, let him prove it in court. Huwag na silang gumawa ng gulo para lang takasan ang kaso,” he added.