The Commission on Human Rights warned on Tuesday that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may exercise jurisdiction over the Philippines in the wake of alleged extrajudicial killings involving drug suspects, which police say have soared to 1,916 since July 1.

During the continuation of a Senate hearing on the extrajudicial killings, Senator Leila de Lima, chairperson of the committee on justice and human rights, asked the commission if the Philippines might be courting the intervention of the ICC if the extrajudicial killings would not abate.

"Failure of the government to address this situation currently prevailing of unexplained extrajudicial killings and providing remedies in terms of prosecution of perpetrators could result in the possibility of the ICC exercising jurisdiction over those matters if we fail to do so," said human rights commission chairman Jose Luis Gascon.

He said the ICC could do it on its own because it can monitor what has been happening in a country.

National police Director General Ronald de la Rosa told reporters after the hearing they should not be threatened with the possibility of facing the ICC as this might affect their campaign against illegal drugs. He said they investigating reports that about 300 policemen were allegedly protectors of the illegal drugs trade and that number could rise as reports come in.

Senator Franklin Drilon, during the hearing, said the updated casualty figures could mean 36 people died every day in the anti-drug campaign. Celerina Monte