ONE YEAR AFTER DUTERTE'S ARREST, MARCOS DOUBLES DOWN: THE PHILIPPINES IS NOT REJOINING THE ICC

"The president's position remains unchanged. We will not rejoin the ICC."

That was Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, speaking to reporters in New York on Monday, March 10, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continued his working visit to the United States.

The statement landed on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Rodrigo Duterte's arrest — March 11, 2025 — when the former president was taken into custody upon arrival in Manila from Hong Kong, following an ICC arrest warrant issued through Interpol.

DE LIMA AND HONTIVEROS FIRE BACK

Hours after Castro's statement, two of the most prominent voices in Philippine human rights advocacy pushed back hard.

House senior deputy minority leader and ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima issued a statement on Tuesday, March 10 (Manila time), questioning Marcos directly.

"What is President Marcos waiting for? What is preventing him from restoring the Philippines' membership in the ICC?"

De Lima argued that non-rejoining "sends the wrong message" to Filipinos and the international community. She said returning to the Rome Statute would provide assurance that a judicial body exists to address serious crimes and mass atrocities "if our domestic system fails to investigate and prosecute these cases."

Senator Risa Hontiveros also called on Marcos to rejoin the ICC, according to the Philippine News Agency. Her position has been consistent since the Philippines formally withdrew from the Rome Statute in March 2019, a move initiated by Duterte after the ICC announced a preliminary examination into his administration's drug war killings.

IMEE MARCOS INTRODUCES SENATE RESOLUTION 340

In a separate development, Senator Imee Marcos — the president's sister — filed Senate Resolution 340, which demands that the Marcos administration disclose all government communications, requests, and directives related to the ICC.

Imee Marcos framed the resolution around the anniversary of Duterte's arrest. She asserted that the administration has infringed upon the former president's rights, stating that "unlawful deprivation of liberty constitutes an ongoing violation that persists as long as the restraint continues without a legitimate legal and judicial foundation."

She also cautioned that concealing the details of ICC coordination "sets a perilous precedent that could be exploited against other critics and law enforcement officials."

THE PALACE FIRES BACK AT IMEE

The Palace did not take the resolution quietly.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, in a late Tuesday statement, questioned the senator's motivations.

"Does this imply that the claims in her report were so flimsy and shallow that a resolution needs to be advanced?" Castro asked, referring to Imee Marcos's earlier Senate committee report on Duterte's arrest, which had recommended legal action against involved law enforcement officials.

Castro also urged the senator to be "equitable and neutral for all Filipinos," and said the Senate should consider the interests of the victims and complainants in the crimes against humanity case — not just the former president.

The sibling friction is now public. The president refuses to rejoin the ICC. His sister demands transparency about how the government coordinates with the same court. The opposition demands full reentry. Three positions, pulling in three directions, anchored to a single question: what is the Philippines' actual relationship with the ICC right now?

WHERE THE ICC CASE STANDS

The ICC concluded its confirmation of charges hearing against Duterte on February 27, 2026. Pre-Trial Chamber I now has 60 days to decide whether to advance the case to a full trial. Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity — murder and attempted murder — related to alleged extrajudicial killings during his time as mayor of Davao City and as president.

Duterte's defense team is simultaneously awaiting an Appeals Chamber decision on a jurisdiction challenge. If the appeal succeeds, it could halt the case entirely.

The Philippines formally withdrew from the Rome Statute on March 17, 2019, one year after Duterte submitted the withdrawal notice. The ICC maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed during the period the Philippines was a member — from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019.

The Philippine National Police has increased surveillance in strategic locations ahead of expected mobilizations on the anniversary, including a motorcade rally anticipated to traverse EDSA.

A DOOR MARCOS WILL NOT OPEN

The president has been consistent. During his first year in office, Marcos stated the Philippines had no intention of returning to the ICC. In New York this week, that position held firm.

But the political landscape around that position is shifting. De Lima, once a political prisoner under Duterte, is now a sitting congresswoman and one of the most vocal advocates for ICC reentry. Hontiveros has made it a recurring demand. And Imee Marcos — no ally of the opposition — is asking questions about the very court her brother refuses to rejoin.

One year after Duterte was taken into ICC custody, the Philippines remains in a peculiar space: its former president sits in an international detention facility, its current president refuses to recognize the court's authority, and the political pressure to reconsider is building from both sides of the aisle.