Will Philippines rejoin ICC? Marcos ‘is open to it,’ says Palace

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Screengrab from a video posted on his Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to discussions on the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), a Palace official said on Thursday.

At a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was asked to comment on the call of Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression.

The UN official urged the Philippine government to ratify international human rights treaties and reinstate its previous commitment to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

READ: Marcos told to rejoin ICC as PH marks 6th year of treaty pullout

Castro described the recommendations as “good,” adding that Marcos is open to talks about the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC.

“He [Marcos] is open to it. The last time we spoke—since we’ve talked about this before—he said he was open to it,” she said.

On March 17, 2018, then President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew from the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the ICC. The withdrawal took effect after a year.

Despite Duterte’s withdrawal, the ICC retained jurisdiction over alleged crimes in the Philippines which reportedly happened from November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019, covering the period when the country was still a member.

The Duterte administration at that time launched a war against illegal drugs. /apl