MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is now open to discussing the possible re-accession of the Philippines to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move seen as a potential policy shift amid international pressure over the country’s human rights record.
Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro said that while the matter has not yet been formally taken up by the President, he is not averse to entertaining such proposals.
“Sa aking palagay, opo. At kaya lang, hindi po ngayon napag-uusapan ang bagay na ‘yan. Pero sa mga ganitong suggestion, open naman po ang Pangulo para po ito ay mapag-usapan,” Castro stated.
This development comes in the wake of a call by United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, who urged the Philippine government to ratify key human rights treaties and to rejoin the Rome Statute — the founding treaty of the ICC.
“In the light of the history of enforced disappearances, unlawful killings, and persistent impunity in the Philippines, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to open discussions for re-accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” Khan wrote in her report.
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under then-President Rodrigo Duterte, shortly after the tribunal began examining his administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign. Marcos has so far avoided making firm public commitments on the matter, previously brushing aside questions with vague responses.
When asked in March about the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC, Marcos only smiled and replied that the issue “had not been addressed.”/PN
