President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not discussed or considered the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), Malacañang said Friday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the matter has not been raised with the President and is not part of the administration’s foreign policy agenda “as of now.”

“As of now, there’s really nothing,” Castro told reporters.

“Given a chance to bring up the matter with the President more deeply, we’ll see how he reacts. But for now, in terms of foreign policy, it hasn’t been discussed,” she said.

Earlier this month, Castro said Marcos was open to discussions on the Philippines rejoining the ICC.

“In my view, yes. It’s just that the matter hasn’t been discussed yet, but the President is open to talking about such suggestions,” Castro had said.

The Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC became official on 17 March 2019, exactly one year after the Duterte administration exited the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC in 2011.

No direct cooperation

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DoJ) will help witnesses testify in the cases related to the previous administration’s war on drugs, but it will not “directly cooperate” with the ICC, Malacañang said.

“It seems that, based on what we’ve heard, the DoJ will assist the witnesses so they can testify and ensure that justice is served for those who deserve it. But they will not be directly cooperating with the ICC,” Castro said.

Asked if the assistance is being extended upon the ICC’s request, Castro said it would focus solely on helping Filipinos seek justice.

“The people we are helping are fellow Filipinos who need support to get justice. That’s also what the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is saying,” she said.

She quoted a message from the CHR reaffirming its commitment to help the human rights victims.

“The CHR, as constitutionally mandated, has always made its services readily available to all victims regardless of circumstances and status in its pursuit of justice and accountability for alleged violations of human rights,” Castro said.

She said the DoJ assistance was not limited to the ICC cases.

“The DoJ has made it clear that it will assist any witnesses who are helping victims — whether the case is with the ICC or in other situations,” she said.

What indirect cooperation?

Castro confirmed the President has given his approval for the DoJ to assist the ICC witnesses during the pleadings before the court in The Hague, Netherlands.

“That is also what the President wants, for justice to be served to those who truly deserve it,” Castro said.

Marcos earlier vowed not to cooperate with the ICC “in any way, shape or form.”

Castro, however, clarified that while the government stands by this position, it still has a responsibility to support Filipinos seeking justice, whether in local or international courts.

“It can be said that it is indirectly cooperating with the ICC. But the primary intention of the government is to help the victims and the witnesses to get the justice they need,” she said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte is facing a charge of crimes against humanity before the ICC at The Hague.

The Marcos administration earlier said Duterte’s arrest aligned with the Philippines’ commitments to Interpol, which include serving additional arrest warrants issued by the ICC in connection with the previous administration’s anti-drug war.