HINILING ni International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan sa  ICC Appeals Chamber na tanggihan ang apela ng Pilipinas sa  desisyon na  pahintulutan ang pagpapatuloy ng imbestigasyon kaugnay sa  drug war killings sa Pilipinas.

Sa 59 pahinang dokumento na may petsang Abril 4, sinabi ni Khan na nabigo ang gobyerno na magpakita ng kahit na anumang mali sa desisyon at nabigo na ma- identify  ang kahit na anumang mali na “materially affected” sa desisyon.

“The Prosecution respectfully requests the Appeals Chamber to reject the Appeal and confirm the Pre-Trial Chamber’s authorization of the resumption of the Prosecution’s investigation,” ayon kay Khan.

“Instead, the Chamber reasonably and correctly considered the materials submitted by the Philippines and correctly applied the law,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Sinabi ni Khan na ang ICC ay may hurisdiksyon sa nasabing sitwasyon na di umano’y krimen na nangyari mula Nobyembre  2011 hanggang Marso  2019  dahil ang bansa ay kumalas lamang mula sa ICC noong Marso 2019.

Makailang ulit namang sinabi ng mga opisyal ng PIlipinas na walang hurisdiksyon ang ICC sa bansa matapos na kumalas ang Pilipinas sa Rome Statute, nag-establisa ng ICC, noong Marso 2019.

“The Philippines, therefore, was a State Party to the Statute during the temporal scope of the authorized investigation. The Philippines’ subsequent withdrawal from the Statute thus has no effect on the previously established jurisdiction of the Court,” ayon kay Khan.

Sinabi pa nito na ang  state cooperation ay hindi  legal prerequisite para sa  paggamit o pagganap sa hurisdiksyon ng ICC.

“Although State cooperation is fundamental to the Court’s efficient conduct of its proceedings, it is not a jurisdictional precondition that must be met for the Court to exercise its jurisdiction,” ani Khan.

Tinuran pa ni Khan na sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay binanggit ng pamahalaan sa apela nito ang argumento  na may kinalaman sa  domestic processes.

“It has never previously articulated a formal mandatory progression from the PNP-IAS to review by the Department of Justice panel to case build-up by the NBI, nor in any event does it now cite any clear basis under the law of the Philippines requiring that this sequence is followed,” ani Khan.

“Furthermore, the Philippines presents no authority to support its claim that domestic ‘procedural rules demand a lengthier investigation phase while in turn, the commencement of court proceedings following an investigation are usually immediately’,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Ani Khan, “the chamber did not err in considering that the country’s investigation did not extend to high-ranking officials” sabay sabing “In particular, by focusing on low-ranking individuals, it was not clear how the Philippines was investigating the question of the potential links between criminal incidents, which may be significant to the contextual element of crimes against humanity.”

Aniya pa,  ipinahihiwatig sa available information na ang torture, inhuman acts, at ibang krimen ay nagawa dahil sa  drug war.

“Nothing about these crimes committed in large part by law enforcement personnel entrusted with protecting citizens from violence, suggests that the potential cases before the Court are of marginal gravity,” ayon kay Khan.

“To the contrary, they are extremely serious, and appear to have been at the very least encouraged and condoned by high-level government officials, up to and including the former President,” dagdag na wika nito.

Nangako si Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez na lalo pang pagbubutihin ng kamara ang kanilang pagtatrabaho upang higit na mapagsilbihan ang mga Pilipino.

Ayon kay Romualdez, labis ang kanyang pasasalamat sa mga Pilipino dahil sa ibinigay na kumpiyansa at tiwala sa kongreso.

Ginawa ng Speaker ang pahayag matapos lumabas sa resulta ng March.

2023 Pulse Asia Survey, kung saan nakakuha ng 51% approval rating ang House of Representatives.

Ikinagagalak nito na malaman na pinahahalagahan ng mas nakararami ang pagsisikap ng kamara na mapagtibay ang mga panukalang lilikha ng maraming trabaho, business opportunities, assistance program para sa mahihirap at magbibigay daan upang magkaroon ng mas maginhawang bukas ang mga Pilipino.

Ipinangako pa ni Romualdez na gagawin nila ang lahat upang maipasa ang mga nakabinbin na panukalang batas na kabilang sa 8-point socioeconomic agenda ni  Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na may hangaring maiangat ang pamumuhay ng bawat mamamayan ng bansa

Sa lumabas na “Ulat ng Bayan” nationwide survey na ginawa mula Marso March 15 hanggang 19, 2023, nakakuha ng mataas na ratings sina Pangulong Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, at Speaker Romualdez .

Nakapagtala ang pangulo ng 78% approval rating, VP Duterte na may 83%, jabang nakakuha naman pareho sina Zubiri at Romualdez ng 51% approval rating. Si Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo ay nakatanggap naman ng approval rating na 43%.

Ipinapakita ng survey na mayorya ng mga taga Metro Manilans (57%), Visayas (77%), Mindanao (58%), at maging ng mga nasa class E (66%) ay naniniwala sa naging trabaho ni Romualdez.(Ara  Romero)