Opposition lawmakers push for PH to rejoin ICC

Opposition lawmakers on Monday filed a resolution in the House of Representatives seeking the return of the Philippines to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Representatives Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Sarah Elago of Gabriela and Renee Co of Kabataan filed House Resolution 809 to mark the start of the confirmation of charges hearing at the ICC against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The ICC is the world's first permanent international judicial body established to prosecute individuals for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community—genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression—and represents a vital mechanism to ensure justice, accountability, and the rule of law across all nations,” the lawmakers said.

“The ICC serves as a court of last resort, activated only when domestic mechanisms are unable or unwilling to genuinely investigate and prosecute, making it a vital recourse for victims when national justice systems fall short or are compromised. Rejoining the IC would send a clear and strong message that the Philippines honors its international obligations, respects the sanctity of life, and is committed to breaking the cycle of impunity and state violence,” they added.

In addition, the lawmakers said that reengagement with the ICC would strengthen the country's global reputation as a rights-respecting democracy, restore international confidence in the Philippines' legal system and bolster partnerships rooted in justice, good governance, and the rule of law.

“The House of Representatives, as the duly elected, constitutional voice of the Filipino people, is duty-bound to champion justice, truth, and transparency, and to advance the national interest by aligning the country with international norms of human rights protection. Now, therefore, be it resolved,  as it is hereby resolved, that the House of Representatives, through this Resolution, formally expresses its sense urging for the Government of the Republic of the Philippines to take necessary steps toward the re-accession of the Philippines to the Rome Statute, thereby rejoining the International Criminal Court and reaffirming its commitment to upholding justice, human dignity, and the rule of law,” the resolution read.

Duterte has been detained in an ICC detention facility since March 2025, on charges of crimes against humanity over the deaths resulting from his drug war policy when he was president.

The former President has been adamant that he did nothing wrong in implementing the bloody drug war, which by his own administration's count killed around 6,000 Filipinos. Human rights groups say that the actually total could be as high as 30,000.

In 2018, when the ICC announced that it would act on a complaint filed against him, Duterte announced that he would pull the Philippines out of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. The Philippines' withdrawal took effect a year later.

However, the Supreme Court, in a 2021 decision, ruled that the Philippines has the obligation to cooperate with the ICC despite its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, citing the Statute’s provision that the exit does not affect criminal proceedings pertaining to acts that occurred when a country was still a state party. — BM, GMA Integrated News