PH not moving to rejoin ICC yet, but inter-agency talks ongoing - DFA chief

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Philippine government has not made any official move to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), but inter-agency discussions are ongoing, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro clarified that there is no active directive from Malacañang instructing the DFA to begin any reapplication process.

"There’s no movement as far as cascading to the Department of Foreign Affairs. I’m sure there had been discussions with other agencies like the Department of Justice," Lazaro said in a meeting with reporters on Monday, July 14.

Malacañang previously acknowledged that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is aware and considering public sentiment regarding the ICC, especially after an OCTA Research "Tugon ng Masa" survey conducted from April 22 to 24 showed 57 percent of Filipinos support rejoining the court as a member state.

“Sa ngayon po ay muli, hindi pa po natin napaguusapan iyan. Hindi pa po nababanggit ng pangulo pero ‘yung ganitong mga sentimyento po ng ating mga kababayan ay dinidinig naman po ng ating pangulo,” said Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during a separate briefing.

[Translation: For now, we haven’t talked about it yet. The president hasn’t brought it up, but he is listening to the sentiments of our people.]

“Titignan po natin sa mga susunod na araw kung ano po ang magiging saloobin ng pangulo sa pag-rejoin sa ICC,” she added.

[Translation: We’ll see in the coming days what the president’s position will be regarding rejoining the ICC.]

The Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, a year after then-President Rodrigo Duterte initiated the pullout in response to the court's preliminary examination of his administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign.

Duterte is currently detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, following the issuance of an arrest warrant over alleged crimes against humanity committed between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.

In previous statements, Malacañang confirmed that Marcos is open to discussing the possibility of rejoining the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

“On June 19, we said the President remains open to dialogue on the matter, especially amid international calls for the Philippines to re-engage with the ICC,” Castro reiterated.