No plans to rejoin ICC even after Duterte’s arrest, says Malacañang
MANILA, Philippines — The Palace said on Tuesday, March 25, that there are no plans for the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court, despite the government handing former president Rodrigo Duterte over to the tribunal.
In a media briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that when she spoke to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. about the matter, he simply smiled.
“We have not yet discussed any plan of rejoining the ICC. Iyong huli po nating nakausap ang pangulo, tinanong po natin iyan nang personal at siya’y ngumiti lamang at sasabihin ko daw dapat na wala pa talagang napag-uusapan patungkol doon,” Castro said in a Palace briefing.
(We have not yet discussed any plan of rejoining the ICC. In our last conversation with the president, we also personally asked that and he merely smiled and told me to say that there are no talks yet on the matter.)
Castro also said that the Philippine government has not made any commitment regarding the potential issuance of a freeze order on Duterte’s assets in the country by the ICC.
In a previous briefing, the Palace said that the issue of freezing Duterte’s assets would be decided by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
While the Palace remains silent on whether or not the Philippines will rejoin the ICC, the arrest of Duterte and his turnover to the tribunal have shown that the administration can change its stance based on developments.
No less than Justice Secretary Boying Remulla admitted that the administration can change its position over time.
In a Senate inquiry into Duterte’s arrest, Sen. Imee Marcos, the sister of President Bongbong Marcos and a staunch ally of the Duterte clan, presented Remulla with old comments from the president about how the Philippines would not join the ICC.
Imee questioned why that position had changed, though she later admitted that she had not spoken directly to her brother about the matter..
"Our minds can change," Remulla simply said, albeit speaking in general terms.
Whether the president will change his stance on the country’s membership in the ICC remains to be seen.
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