On January 28, 2023, Secretary Jesus Remulla of the Philippines Department of Justice held a press conference to express his discontent with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) authorization of an investigation into civilian deaths during the Filipino government’s war on drugs between 2011-2019. The investigation comes amidst claims that citizens were “recruited, coordinated, and paid by police” to kill citizens. Secretary Remulla called the ICC’s actions “unreasonable” considering the fact that the Philippines has a “fully functioning judicial system.” The ICC’s response emphasized that the government’s failure to provide sufficient information meant that the principle of complementarity could not be applied. This principle prevents the ICC from hearing a case if the state with relevant jurisdiction is already investigating. The Filipino government requested a deferral of the investigation in November 2021.