After months of ambiguity, Malacañang has signaled that the Philippines may be reconsidering its position on the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a press briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was “open” to exploring the possibility of rejoining The Hague-based tribunal, which investigates and prosecutes crimes against humanity.

“He’s open. The last time we talked, because we talked about this a long time ago, he said he was open,” Castro said.

Speculation over the Philippines’ potential return to the ICC has intensified since the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague in March, following charges linked to his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Marcos has since faced repeated questions from the media on whether his government is considering restoring the country’s ICC membership.

The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in 2019, a year after Duterte announced the decision amid the court’s preliminary examination into alleged extrajudicial killings tied to his anti-drug campaign.

The withdrawal, initiated in 2018, ended the country’s brief affiliation with the ICC, which began in 2011 under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan, has called on the Philippine government to ratify a number of key international human rights instruments, most notably the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Khan also urged the government to restore its ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, arguing that both actions are integral to strengthening democratic accountability and safeguarding freedom of expression.

Malacañang welcomed the recommendations, saying they align with ongoing government efforts to bolster human rights protections and address abuses, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings allegedly committed during the Duterte presidency.

Castro acknowledged that President Marcos is considering the UN expert’s proposals.

“This is a good suggestion and we will study whether we should still join, right, join the ICC and ratify other international human rights laws. So, our President will study this carefully,” she said.

The Palace is also under growing pressure from rights groups and international observers to denounce and penalize the practice of red-tagging — the labeling of individuals or organizations as communist insurgents or sympathizers, often without evidence, which has been linked to threats, harassment and violence.

Castro said the President is reviewing the issue. “The President will look into the circumstances of cases of red-tagging.”

While the administration’s public stance remains cautious, Marcos’ openness to revisiting the country’s relationship with the ICC marks a notable shift from his predecessor, whose defiant posture toward international accountability institutions left the country increasingly isolated on global human rights platforms.