President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to discussing the recommendations of a United Nations expert on improving the country’s human rights situation, including the possible return of the Philippines to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing that while there are no formal discussions yet, the president has previously indicated openness to rejoining the ICC.
“Open po siya. No’ng huli po kaming nag-usap… sinabi niya open naman po siya,” Castro said, emphasizing that this was based on past conversations with the president. [Translation: He’s open. During our last talk—since this has come up before—he told me he’s open to it.]
Marcos earlier said the matter of rejoining the ICC remains under study. The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2018 during the Duterte administration. The withdrawal took effect in 2019. Former President Rodrigo Duterte is currently detained by the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s war on drugs.
The potential return to the ICC is one of several recommendations made by UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, who visited the Philippines in 2024 to assess the state of freedom of opinion and expression. Khan’s full report, released this week, acknowledged reforms taken under the Marcos administration but said these are not enough to fully move on from past abuses.
“The government must embark on more significant legal, policy, and institutional changes to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression,” Khan said.
She also urged the Philippines to ratify key human rights treaties, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Among her more controversial proposals was the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), citing its role in red-tagging and other alleged violations.
Khan recommended that the government adopt an executive order to formally denounce red-tagging and implement accountability measures for those who engage in the practice.
Castro said the administration welcomes the international recognition of its current human rights efforts, and affirmed that the president would carefully study Khan’s recommendations.
“Ang suggestion ng UN rapporteur, ito ay magandang suggestion… Pag-aaralan po ito ng mabuti ng pangulo,” she said. [Translation: The UN rapporteur’s suggestions are good… The president will study these carefully.]
