Malacañang on Tuesday shrugged off the Trump administration’s campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying that US policy has no bearing on the Philippines.

“The policies of the US government do not cover the Philippines,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in Filipino when asked to comment on Washington’s latest move against The Hague-based tribunal.

The Palace also reiterated that the Marcos administration is not considering rejoining the ICC, even after cooperating with the tribunal and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and the service of an ICC arrest warrant on Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa over their alleged roles in the previous administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.

US escalates pressure on ICC

The United States on Monday launched a broad campaign against the ICC, describing the court as “an intolerable threat to US sovereignty” and signaling possible additional sanctions against its officials.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would mobilize the entire US government to counter the ICC and encourage other countries to withdraw from the Rome Statute and stop funding the court.

“The ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts, and the force of so-called international law,” Rubio said in a video message.

The US State Department said the campaign will seek to “systematically disable” the ICC’s ability to operate, prosecute American military personnel or government officials, and otherwise threaten US sovereignty.

Washington has long opposed the ICC’s jurisdiction over Americans because the US is not a party to the Rome Statute. Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several ICC officials after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.

The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. While more than 120 countries are members, major powers including the United States, Russia, Israel and China are not.

Panelo welcomes US move

Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo welcomed the Trump administration’s latest move, calling it “long overdue.”

Panelo said the campaign reinforced his long-held position that the ICC had exceeded its mandate by asserting its jurisdiction over countries that are not parties to the Rome Statute.

He cited the arrest and continued detention of Duterte, which he blamed on the Marcos administration’s cooperation with the ICC, as an example of what he described as the tribunal’s unlawful intrusion into Philippine sovereignty.

“The withdrawal of countries from the ICC will hasten its deserved demise,” Panelo said. “The ICC’s intrusive and illegal actions against non-member states must be stopped at all costs.”

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 under Duterte, although the ICC has maintained that it retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the country was still a state party.

‘Pulong’ questions Palace stand

First District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte on Tuesday questioned Malacañang’s position on sovereignty following its response to the Trump administration’s campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a Facebook statement, Duterte said the Palace invoked Philippine sovereignty when discussing US policy but failed to do so when former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and brought to The Hague.

“At least you remembered that we are a sovereign country after saying our government is not covered by US policy. But where was that sovereignty when former President Rodrigo Duterte was brought to The Hague?” he said.

He also rejected the administration’s explanation that it merely cooperated with Interpol in implementing the ICC warrant.

“You cannot fool the Filipino people. Call it ICC, Interpol, cooperation or coordination — one plus one still equals two,” Duterte said.

He urged Malacañang to be consistent in invoking the country’s sovereignty.