Opposition to ICC return supports ex-president Duterte — De Lima

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:27 p.m.) — Former Senator Leila de Lima said that individuals against the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC) are primarily serving the interests of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The former justice secretary said on Tuesday that rejoining the ICC is the "right thing" to do, saying that the 2019 withdrawal was "questionable" for it "served the interests of one man." 

“Here we are, dahil may isang tao na gustong umiwas sa accountability, bigla niyang winithdraw so anong problema ngayon sa pagbalik natin which is the right thing to do?”  De Lima said in an interview with the reporters after a court hearing at Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206. 

(Here we are, because there's someone who wants to avoid accountability, they suddenly withdrew. So what's the problem now with our return, which is the right thing to do?)

“Those who oppose rejoining the ICC are only serving the interest of Duterte and others who are responsible for the murder of thousands of our countrymen,” De Lima also said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

De Lima said she is hopeful that the government will have a “positive” stance toward rejoining the tribunal. 

“I hope really that the result of that study by the executive department will be positive,” De Lima said during an interview with reporters, expressing her readiness to assist with the ICC probe.

On November 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the administration was studying whether the Philippines would rejoin the ICC. 

“There's also a question should we return under the fold of the ICC. That is under study. We'll just keep looking at it and see what our options are," Marcos said.

This has been echoed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla who also insisted that the government will not allow the ICC to impose anything. 

In 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute after ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda began a preliminary inquiry into reported human rights violations during the former President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. Human Rights Watch estimates that this campaign resulted in the deaths of thousands of individuals.

However, even after the country's