PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not changed his stance to not allow the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), Malacañang said Thursday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement after the ICC Appeals Chamber upheld its jurisdiction over former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Some groups have urged the government to return to the ICC to strengthen accountability mechanisms and safeguard against abuses.
“The President said we are not rejoining the ICC for now,” Castro said during a press conference.
She also maintained that the government’s actions were independent of the ICC ruling on the Duterte case.
Castro said the move was based on Philippine laws and international obligations through law enforcement channels.
“The transfer of former president [Rodrigo] Duterte was not to comply with an ICC order. As we said, this is based on our laws and our relationship with Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization),” she said.
Castro also pushed back against remarks by Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, who questioned the Marcos administration’s position on ICC jurisdiction.
“Tell Attorney Kaufman not to live in the past,” she said.
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, a year after the government revoked its ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.
Duterte initiated the withdrawal a year earlier following the ICC prosecutor’s preliminary examination into alleged crimes linked to his administration’s antidrug campaign.
Despite the country’s exit, the ICC retained jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member of the court.
Duterte has been in ICC detention in The Hague since his arrest in March 2025, and is facing charges of crimes against humanity for actions tied to the antidrug campaign during his tenure as Davao City mayor and later as president.
The ICC tries people accused of the most serious crimes under international law, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
