Lawmakers say Philippines should rejoin ICC
(UPDATE) SEVEN lawmakers on Monday filed resolutions urging the Philippine government to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC).House Resolution (HR) 809 was filed by the Makabayan bloc composed of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co.“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,” the resolution read.“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 [...],” the resolution said.HR 811, meanwhile, was filed by Akbayan Reps. Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Dadah Kiram Ismula with Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.They want the House, through the resolution, to express “strong support” for the country’s re-accession to the Rome Statute and to urge the country’s president “to initiate the necessary constitutional processes for re-accession, subject to Senate concurrence pursuant to Article VII, Section 21 of the Constitution.” The Rome Statute is the treaty that founded the ICC. Under the 1987 Constitution, no treaty shall be valid and take effect unless two-thirds of the whole Senate concurs.HR 811 said “rejoining the ICC will strengthen the country’s commitment to international justice, reinforce its democratic institutions, and enhance its standing in the international community.”Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima supported rejoining the ICC.“I’m all for it,” de Lima said when asked by Co what she thought of rejoining the Rome Statute. Co asked de Lima after the latter delivered a privilege speech.“I’ve been calling for the Philippine government, the current administration, to consider rejoining the ICC because it’s the only international mechanism of accountability that can be relied upon or depended upon if domestic mechanisms of accountability fail or if the state refuses, or [is] unwilling, or [is] unable to genuinely investigate matters under ICC jurisdiction,” de Lima, a former secretary of the Department of Justice and a former senator, said. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.De Lima, explaining the process to rejoin the treaty, said that “the [decision] has to be with the executive. ... The executive has to make a decision whether or not to rejoin and then the decision of the president or the executive will be submitted to the Senate for ratification.”
2026-02-23 16:16:00