The Philippines on Tuesday distanced itself from US President Donald J. Trump's campaign to urge countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying that Washington's recent stance on the Hague-based court is a matter of American policy and that Manila will continue to follow its rules.
“The American mission is not under our government,” Palace Press chief Clarissa A. Castro told reporters in a Viber Filipino group chat.
Ms. Castro was asked to comment on a statement by US Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio, who said on Monday that “countries that refuse to reject the false authority of the ICC while relying on US aid may face serious scrutiny.”
“This is the policy of the United States, and we respect their position,” Ms. Castro separately told GMA News. “At the moment, we have no comment, as we act in accordance with our laws.”
The Marcos administration has repeatedly stated that the Philippines has no plans to rejoin the ICC, while maintaining that its position on the body is based on Philippine policy rather than that of any foreign government.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Convention, the treaty that created the ICC, in 2019 under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte after the court opened the first examination of his anti-drug campaign.
Although Manila is no longer a state party, the ICC maintains that it has jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a member.
Former presidential legal adviser Salvador S. Panelo welcomed the Trump administration's campaign against the ICC, saying the court should stop what he described as interference in the affairs of sovereign states.
“The Trump administration is waging a global campaign against the International Criminal Court, promising to pressure countries to withdraw from the court and accusing it of threatening the sovereignty of the United States, as well as the sovereignty of other countries such as the Philippines, Russia and Israel,” he said in a statement.
“The illegal and unforgivable arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who entered the sovereignty of our country in collaboration with the Marcos administration, is a good example of the illegal entry of the ICC into non-member countries,” he added.
Mr. Duterte, 81, was arrested in March 2025 after Philippine authorities enforced an ICC arrest warrant and transferred him to The Hague, where he remains in judicial custody while facing charges of crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign.
He denied wrongdoing, while his supporters continued to challenge the court's authority following the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Convention.
The US and the Philippines remain treaty partners under the Mutual Defense Treaty and continue to cooperate on defense, trade and other strategic issues despite Manila's decision to treat Washington's recent ICC campaign as a separate policy matter.
The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of violence where national courts are unwilling or unable to do so. – Erika Mae P. Sinaking
