Manila, June 27 -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) will not directly cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in extending assistance to the witnesses who will testify against former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, Malacanang said on Friday.

In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the DOJ is ready to help witnesses who will face not just the ICC but also other investigating bodies to give justice to the victims of Duterte's bloody campaign against illegal drugs.

This, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. stressed the need to "serve justice to those who deserve it," Castro said.

"It can be said that it is indirectly cooperating with the ICC but the primary intention of the government is to help ...