As proceedings move forward against former President Rodrigo Duterte over alleged crimes against humanity, two resolutions have been filed in the House of Representatives calling for the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC).
House Resolutions 809 and 881, introduced by the Makabayan bloc and Akbayan Partylist, urge the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to restore the country’s membership in the tribunal.
“Rejoining the ICC 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,” the Makabayan bloc stated in its resolution.
The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC on March 18, 2018, upon Duterte’s directive, following the court’s preliminary examination into deaths linked to his anti-drug campaign.
The Makabayan bloc maintained that returning to the ICC is necessary to secure justice for victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and alleged ongoing human rights violations tied to the drug war.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña echoed the call, saying:
“We need to show that unlike the previous administration, we support the victims of tokhang and Duterte’s fake war on drugs.”
He further stressed the need for international accountability when domestic remedies fall short:
“We cannot allow the return to a tokhang presidency that will belittle human rights, murder children, torture, and dehumanize our people. We must not allow this nightmare of human rights abuses to happen again in our country.”