Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not yet considering rejoining the International Criminal Court, but clarified that the president is not closing the door on reviewing the country’s membership in the future.

“Ang huli niyang sinabi ay hindi pa po magri-rejoin,” Castro said during a palace briefing.
[Translation: The last thing he said was that we will not rejoin yet.]

“So, kung kinakailangan po sigurong aralin sa mga susunod na araw ay hindi naman po sarado ang pangulo diyan,” she added.

[Translation: So, if there is a need to study it in the coming days, the president is not closing the door on that.]

Castro made the statement after renewed calls for the Philippines to return to the Rome Statute amid questions on how the government would handle the reported ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under former President Rodrigo Duterte after the tribunal began examining his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Asked whether it was time for the Philippines to reconsider ICC membership, Castro said Marcos previously maintained that the country would not rejoin “for now,” but said the matter could still be reviewed later.

The Palace also stressed that while the Philippines is no longer an ICC member-state, the government continues to follow Republic Act 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

Castro said the law allows the government to either surrender or extradite individuals facing proceedings before international tribunals.

“According to RA 9851, and this is clear in Section 17, if a state or international tribunal has already started an investigation, we can defer or waive our right and allow the international court to continue the investigation,” Castro said.