Palace says Marcos open to Philippine gov’t rejoining ICC
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., is open to the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC) after his predecessor Rodrigo R. Duterte unilaterally exited the tribunal in 2019, Malacañang said on Thursday.
“He is open to it,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told a news briefing in Filipino. “The last time we spoke — since we had already discussed this before — he said he was open to it,”
This comes after the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression called on the government to ratify international human rights treaties and rejoin the Rome Statute, which created the ICC.
Mr. Marcos would study the proposal carefully, Ms. Castro said.
In March, the Philippines surrendered Mr. Duterte to the tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs. His trial is scheduled for September, but his lawyers are seeking his temporary release to an unnamed country.
The Philippines, an ICC state party since Nov. 1, 2011, deposited a written notification of withdrawal from the Rome Statute on March 17, 2018. It took effect a year later.
“What the UN rapporteur said and suggested is a good recommendation, and it will be studied carefully, particularly whether the Philippines should rejoin the ICC and ratify other international human rights laws,” Ms. Castro said. “The President will thoroughly review this matter.”
The President would also look into calls for his government to stop red-tagging and hold violators accountable, she added.
Asked about appeals for Malacañang to issue a formal statement against red-tagging and to penalize those responsible, Ms. Castro said the matter would be raised with Mr. Marcos.
“Whatever the situation may be regarding red-tagging, it would be better if we were provided with more details so we can relay it properly,” she added.
Calls to end red-tagging, where people, often activists or government critics, are accused of being communists, have intensified amid concerns over threats, harassment and violence linked to such accusations.
In UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan’s report to the 59th UN Human Rights Council session, she cited the Philippines’ history of enforced disappearances, unlawful killings and impunity, urging steps to strengthen human rights protection and freedom of expression.
She also acknowledged the Philippines’ active civil society and diverse media despite the threats they face.
She cited more than 450 red-tagging incidents in the first half of 2024 alone, mostly involving government actors. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
