MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) Ratify the Rome Statute, officials from the legislative and judicial branches of government urged their counterparts in the executive Thursday.

Once ratified, an International Criminal Court will be created which will try and punish perpetrators of international crimes.

During his speech in the International Conference on the International Criminal Court in Makati City, Senate President Manuel Villar said while they recognized the importance of the Rome Statute, it has not been submitted to the Senate for ratification by the executive branch.

But Villar said that once it has been submitted to the Senate, the upper House will ratify the international treaty immediately.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno said that while they see the importance of the statute to the judiciary, it could do nothing until it has been ratified by the Senate.

"The executive department has not submitted the treaty for ratification by the Senate so the reason is within the executive," Puno said.

Puno, together with Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna, said that the process was strictly political.

"It is the political department that will decide. It is for the President to decide if it should be submitted for ratification," Azcuna said.

Azcuna explained that the Supreme Court has ruled that it has nothing to do with the ratification of the statute.

In the case of Pimentel vs the Executive Secretary, Azcuna said the high court ruled that it could not compel the executive to ratify the Statute of Rome because it was purely a political question.

Puno said that submitting the country to the jurisdiction of the ICC by ratifying the statute was important because it could strengthen the rule of law.

Once the country is in the ICC jurisdiction, even impeachable officials could be sued before the ICC, Azcuna said.

"You can sue an incumbent official including the head of the government if there is proof that they are directly involved," Azcuna said.

The Philippines was one of the countries that drafted the 1998 treaty. Ousted president Joseph Estrada signed it in December 2000, but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has not submitted the document to the Senate for ratification despite requests by opposition senators for Malacañang to do so.

The Rome Statute was signed in Rome in July 17, 1998 and became effective in July 1, 2002. It establishes the ICC which is aimed at punishing perpetrators of international crimes.

As of July, 2008, there are 106 signatories to the Rome Statute.