A measure has been filed in the House of Representatives urging the Philippine government to begin the process of rejoining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
House Resolution No. 1056 calls on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to take the necessary steps to restore the country’s membership in the ICC in accordance with the Constitution and existing laws.
The resolution seeks to reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to accountability, human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against impunity, particularly in cases involving grave international crimes.
“The re-accession of the Philippines to the Rome Statute of the ICC is vital to reaffirm the country’s commitment to justice and accountability and to strengthen the protection of human rights and the rule of law,” the resolution’s author, Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said.
The lawmaker added that returning to the ICC would help restore public trust in justice institutions and strengthen the country’s standing before the international community as a state that respects its obligations under international law.
The ICC is a permanent international tribunal tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals accused of the most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
The resolution also emphasized the principle of complementarity, under which the ICC may step in when national justice systems are unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out investigations or prosecutions.
“To insist now that everything must be tried domestically, when years have passed without genuine accountability at the highest levels, is to ignore the very safeguards embedded in international law,” the lawmaker said.
The Philippines became a State Party to the ICC in 2011 after the Senate concurred in the ratification of the Rome Statute during the Aquino administration.
In 2018, the country withdrew from the treaty under the Duterte administration, a move critics viewed as an attempt to avoid possible accountability before the international court.
The ICC later authorized a formal investigation in 2021 into alleged crimes against humanity linked to the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
The resolution said rejoining the ICC would mark a decisive step toward reinforcing accountability mechanisms and ensuring that serious crimes do not go unaddressed, whether through domestic or international legal processes.