PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, November 17, threatened that the Philippines would pull out its membership from the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the move of Russia.
Duterte speculated that the withdrawal of Russia might have been triggered by allegations thrown at them due to the bombing in Syria and the killings of civilians which Russia has denied.
"Russia withdrew from the International Criminal Court. What could be the reason, I really do not know. Maybe to protect what they are doing in Syria, the incessant bombing and the killing of civilians," he said before leaving for Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Meeting.
On Wednesday, November 16, Russia signed the order and formally withdrew its signature from the ICC.
Duterte said Russian President Vladimir Putin could have seen ICC to be useless.
"Maybe sabi niya, wala, inutil ‘yang International Criminal (Court). Nag-withdraw sila sa membership. I might follow. Why? Tayo lang maliliit ang binugbog ng mga walang hiya. Nagpatayan...it’s by the thousands bombing children, women, for five years now -- Aleppo, Mosul," he said.
Duterte, who has been asking for a bilateral meeting with Putin at the APEC sidelines, has said that the Russian President is his "idol" and he wants to be friends with him.
The President said if China and Russia would come up with a new group of different countries, he would support it.
"You know if China and Russia would decide to create a new order, I will be the first to join," he said.
Earlier, ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensoud said her office would start the probe on the Philippines amid the concerns of extrajudicial killings (EJK) in line with the President's bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, adding that the government seems to condone such killings.
Bensoud also said the Hague-based tribunal may have jurisdiction to prosecute the perpetrators of the killings.
"These human rights and President Obama trivialized, minamaliit nila yong problema," Duterte said, adding that there are over four million drug addicts in the country and the problem is not a joke.
He reiterated that he was hurt with the criticisms of human rights advocates and U.S President Barack Obama who were alarmed with the rising death toll and disregarded the effort of the government instead of helping him to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs and address the challenges.
"The killings are endless," he said, pertaining referring to conflicts in the past and current. "The amount is splattering. That is our lesson. Just because it is America, it does not mean that it is good."
Duterte, meanwhile, is seeking a meeting with Putin in Peru this weekend, which comes in line with its pursuit of an independent foreign policy. (SDR/With Juliet C. Revita/Sunnex)