Manila backs ICJ call to end invasion

THE PHILIPPINES has expressed full support to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Ukraine has filed an application to investigate Russia’s allegations of genocide to justify its invasion that started on February 24.

“In this regard, the Philippines takes this opportunity to reaffirm its full support for the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations,” the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement dated March 23.

The ICJ, in an order released on March 16, said it is “profoundly concerned about the use of force by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which raises very serious issues of international law… It deems it necessary to emphasize that all States must act in conformity with their obligations under the United Nations Charter and other rules of international law, including international humanitarian law.”

The ICJ ordered Russia to halt its invasion as there was no evidence that genocide was committed in Ukraine territory. It also told both states “to refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”

The Philippine government, the DFA said in its statement, “further urges Russia and Ukraine to abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice and to continue exerting every effort, short of the latter surrendering any portion or particle of a state’s sovereignty and the rights, privileges, and prerogatives pertaining thereto — war is not the worst evil nor is peace at the price of submission — to peacefully settle their dispute in the interest of upholding the rule of law and maintaining international peace and security.”— Alyssa Nicole O. Tan