Duterte,
© Presidential CommunicationsPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte,
President Rodrigo Duterte will never cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it pushes through with its investigation of alleged crimes against humanity in the country, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the request of the ICC for judicial authorization to conduct such an inquiry was "legally erroneous" because it no longer has jurisdiction over the Philippines since the country withdrew from the international court in 2019.

Roque also said the institution was also barred by the principle of complementarity and the investigation was not
"pursuant or in aid of substantial justice. I believe the decision to move forward into a formal investigation stage is legally erroneous and politically motivated. Hinding-hindi tayo magko-cooperate dahil hindi na tayo miyembro ng ICC (We will not cooperate because we are no longer member of the ICC)."

Roque claimed that the ICC request was "politically motivated" since the allegations against the President and his war against drugs were being raised by what he called the "enemies of the state." He specifically named former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th, a vocal Duterte critic, who has recently signified his intention to run for a higher position in 2022 elections.
"Sasayangan lang nila panahon, resources ng hukuman dahil without the state's cooperation, hindi makakabuo ng kaso kung hindi base sa ebidensya at hearsay, galing mismo sa mga komunista at pulitikong kalaban ng Pangulo (They will just waste time and resources of the court because, without cooperation from the Philippine state, they won't be able to make a case except for one based on hearsay and from the communists and political enemies of the President).

"This is now a political issue. Hinding-hindi magko-cooperate ang Presidente hanggang matapos ng kanyang termino sa June 30, 2022 (The President will never cooperate until his term ends on June 30, 2022)."