MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. just smiled when asked about the Philippines’ possible return to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro, there is still no plan for the country to rejoin ICC despite calls from some administration allies.
“As of now, there have been no discussions on rejoining the ICC,” Castro said in a media briefing at the Malacañang Palace.
“Iyong huli po nating nakausap ang Pangulo, tinanong po natin iyan nang personal at siya’y ngumiti lamang at sasabihin ko daw dapat na wala pa talagang napag-uusapan patungkol doon,” she added.
Bataan 1st District’s Cong. Geraldine Roman previously said the Philippines must rejoin the ICC to show that the country respects human rights and obeys international laws.
“We left the ICC unilaterally, I think it’s about time that we return to the ICC and show the whole world that this country respects our laws and international laws,” Roman said.
“There is nothing wrong with that, my fellow Filipinos. The law is the only protection that people have against abuses, even us in positions of power need it. This is the only assurance that our courts have bases to give us justice if we are aggrieved by anyone,” Roman explained.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019 after The Hague-based tribunal began a probe into Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
President Marcos has previously said several times that he has no plans to return to ICC and will not recognize their jurisdiction in the Philippines./PN
