President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is open to discussing the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.
During a Thursday press briefing, Castro said while the topic isn’t currently on the administration’s agenda, the President is willing to consider it. “In my view, yes—although it’s not being discussed at the moment, the President is open to these kinds of suggestions,” she noted in Filipino.
This comes after UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan urged the Philippines to recommit to international human rights agreements. Khan called on the country to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to rejoin the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute.
The Philippines exited the ICC in 2019 after it launched an investigation into the Duterte administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign. When asked about rejoining the ICC earlier this year, Marcos only smiled and noted the issue hadn’t been discussed—following the arrest and detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Netherlands.