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Advocates Philippines
PH Will Not Rejoin ICC For Now Says Marcos
Photo credit: ICC
The Philippines will not rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) for now, according to Malacañang, saying the position of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the issue remains unchanged.
Speaking during a press conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in New York City on Monday (New York time), Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President has made it clear that the country will stay out of the international tribunal for the time being.
“The President’s stance has not changed. We are still not rejoining the ICC at this time,” Castro said, adding that this was the message relayed to her directly by Marcos.
The Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, a year after the government revoked its membership in the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the international court.
The withdrawal was ordered by former president Rodrigo Duterte in March 2018. At the time, the ICC—through then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda—had begun a preliminary examination into alleged crimes linked to Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
The international court is investigating possible crimes against humanity tied to the government’s war on drugs, covering the period from November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
Duterte is currently being held at the ICC detention facility in The Hague in the Netherlands while the case moves forward.
For now, Malacañang stressed that the government’s position remains firm: the Philippines has no plans yet to rejoin the ICC.
Speaking during a press conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in New York City on Monday (New York time), Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President has made it clear that the country will stay out of the international tribunal for the time being.
“The President’s stance has not changed. We are still not rejoining the ICC at this time,” Castro said, adding that this was the message relayed to her directly by Marcos.
The Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, a year after the government revoked its membership in the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the international court.
The withdrawal was ordered by former president Rodrigo Duterte in March 2018. At the time, the ICC—through then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda—had begun a preliminary examination into alleged crimes linked to Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
The international court is investigating possible crimes against humanity tied to the government’s war on drugs, covering the period from November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
Duterte is currently being held at the ICC detention facility in The Hague in the Netherlands while the case moves forward.
For now, Malacañang stressed that the government’s position remains firm: the Philippines has no plans yet to rejoin the ICC.
Mar 10, 2026
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