An opposition lawmaker said an international treaty takes precedence over Philippine laws as he branded as “grossly incorrect” the declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte’s that the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was not effective because it was not published in the Official Gazette. 200 dated June 18, 1987, refers to the effectivity of laws or statutes enacted by the Congress. For his part, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, an international law expert, said the Rome Statute was a “penal law” which the Supreme Court ruled needed publication in the Official Gazette. ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio had warned that Duterte “won’t save himself” from the investigation of the international court even after he declared the Philippine’s withdrawal from the agreement. /cbbREAD: ‘Duterte won’t save himself from ICC probe’ – Tinio

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 20, 2018 04:17 UTC