Makabayan bloc urges Marcos admin to rejoin PH in ICC

Philippine Canadian Inquirer
March 1, 2026

(Contributed Photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Makabayan bloc filed House Resolution No. 809 on Monday, February 23, urging the Philippine government to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the ongoing proceedings faced by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In its explanatory note, the group asserted that as a founding member of the United Nations and a long-standing advocate of international cooperation, the Philippines must uphold its values and commitment to the international community in prosecuting its own individuals for serious crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.

“The ICC has affirmed that it retains jurisdiction over crimes allegedly committed on Philippine territory during the period when the Philippines was a State Party to the Rome Statute from 1 November 2011 to 17 March 2019, regardless of the country’s subsequent withdrawal,” it additionally states.

To recall, the Philippines filed a withdrawal of its membership from the ICC on March 17, 2018, and it took effect a year later, all while the Duterte administration is operating its anti-illegal drug campaign that local and international human rights watchdogs have strongly condemned for the alleged culture of impunity it perpetuated, as well as the observable extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s watch.