Palace: Marcos open to discuss rejoining ICC

Months after the arrest and detention of former president Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague over alleged crimes against humanity, Malacañang said President Marcos is open to talks on the call for the Philippines to return to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

- By ALEXIS ROMERO

While there have been no discussions yet on bringing back the country to the international tribunal, Marcos is open to the suggestion, according to Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro.

"During our last conversation... he said he is open (to such a discussion)," Castro said in a press briefing yesterday.

She was asked to react to a report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, who had encouraged the Philippines to "open discussions for reaccession to the Rome Statute" of the ICC.

The Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, was ratified by the Philippines in 2011.

In 2018, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the statute as a response to the court's plan to investigate his controversial war on drugs, which left more than 6,000 suspects dead.