MANILA, Philippines — Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima has reiterated her call for the Philippines to return to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and called her colleagues at the House of Representatives to support this move.
De Lima filed House Resolution 1056 last May 26, calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to initiate the process of restoring the Philippines’ membership in the ICC in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.
In a statement, De Lima said that the re-accession of the Philippines to the Rome Statute of the ICC was "vital to reaffirm the country’s commitment to justice and accountability and to strengthen the protection of human rights and the rule of law, aimed at deterring the commission of grave international crimes and restoring public trust in institutions of justice."
“This will also reinforce the Philippines’ standing in the international community as a State that upholds its obligations under international law and defends the dignity of every human person,” she added.
In a privilege speech last February, De Lima said that rejoining the ICC upheld the principle of complementarity in preventing impunity, especially when domestic institutions fail to function as guarantors of accountability—whether through fear, political pressure, or structural weakness.
“To insist now that everything must be tried domestically, when years have passed without genuine accountability at the highest levels, is to ignore the very safeguards embedded in international law,” De Lima added.
The Philippines became a State Party to the ICC in 2011 under the administration of the late president Benigno S. Aquino III, following the Senate’s concurrence with the ratification of the Rome Statute.
However, former president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the country’s unilateral withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which De Lima viewed as his attempt to avoid possible prosecution before the international court.
In a previous statement, Vice President Sara Duterte deplored the country's cooperation with the ICC in the arrest of her father, calling it an "affront" to the country's sovereignty.
