THERE are currently no discussions on the Philippines’ plan of rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), Malacañang said Tuesday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement after the Makabayan bloc and Akbayan party-list group filed two separate resolutions seeking the country’s return to the ICC.
“There is no discussion on... rejoining the ICC, as of this date,” Castro said in a text message.
The filing of the two resolutions coincides with the ICC’s commencement of the confirmation of charges hearing involving former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is accused of crimes against humanity for his bloody war on drugs.
In filing House Resolution 809, Party-list Reps. Renee Louise Co of Kabataan, Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers and Sarah Jane Elago of Gabriela underscored the ICC’s role as the world’s first permanent international court tasked with prosecuting individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
Lawmakers described the tribunal as a “vital mechanism” for ensuring justice when national systems are unable or unwilling to prosecute grave international crimes.
The measure noted that the ICC maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in the Philippines during the period it was a state party to the Rome Statute from Nov. 1, 2011, to March 17, 2019, despite the country’s subsequent withdrawal.
It also cited constitutional provisions affirming the state’s duty to protect human dignity and human rights, as well as Republic Act 9851, which allows Philippine authorities to defer to international tribunals in prosecuting crimes against humanity and related offenses.
In 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines was studying if it could rejoin the ICC and see what the country’s options are.
In 2018, Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from its membership in the ICC, following the international tribunal’s preliminary investigation into his drug war.
The former president, who is currently at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, was arrested and turned over to the ICC in March 2025.
