Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Monday stressed his expertise which qualifies his nomination to become a member of the International Law Commission.

"Now, although I am nominated by the Philippines, my nomination is based on my individual capacity as an international law expert. This is a subject that I have been teaching for 15 years in UP," he said in a virtual briefing on Monday.

''It is also the reason I became the director of the Institute of International Legal Studies in UP Law Center and I was nominated for the International Law Commission because I recently stood as the president of the Asian Society of International Law, an association of all the experts in Asia," he added.

Roque confirmed that he is in New York for his nomination to be a member of the International Law Commission.

"I am now in New York because the members of the United Nations will choose the 34 members of the International Law Commission," he said.

"This is not a full time job. It does not have a salary. Members only attend meetings for a couple of weeks yearly, if I'm not mistaken," he added.

In a letter dated September 12, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said it “strongly objects to the nomination” of Roque for lack of the qualification to join the international body.

“Mr. Roque does not possess the qualifications for a seat at the Commission. While he has degrees in law and has taught Public International Law, he is a political partisan who has actively demonstrated contempt for the rule of law and, with specific relevance to the Commission, has undermined the supremacy of human rights and international law,” FLAG chairman Jose Manuel Diokno said. Robina Asido/DMS