Kuala lumpur: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is making its decisions based on the Rome Statute rather than political statements, according to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro.

According to Philippines News Agency, Castro addressed the issue on Sunday in response to the recent strategy of former President Rodrigo Duterte's camp, which leveraged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s remarks to contest the ICC's jurisdiction over Duterte's crimes against humanity case. Castro emphasized that the ICC would rely on the Rome Statute for any decisions or resolutions, unaffected by political declarations. Her comments came during a press briefing at the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia.

Duterte's legal team previously argued that Marcos had suggested that Duterte should not face trial at the ICC, referencing a 2023 letter to Vice President Sara Duterte wherein the government stated it would not assist the ICC in any capacity. However, judges from the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed on October 23 that the court has jurisdiction over the case involving Duterte, who is currently held at the ICC's detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands.

The court dismissed the defense's claim that the ICC lacked jurisdiction because the investigation into the Philippines' war on drugs was authorized in September 2021, two years after the nation's withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The judges clarified that no provision in the Statute restricts the ICC's jurisdiction over crimes committed while the State was a party to the Statute.