Philippines softens stance on ICC investigating Duterte’s deadly drugs war

After years of defiance, Manila has hinted at limited cooperation with the International Criminal Court to investigate ex-president Duterte

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Filipino policemen tape off an area in Manila where a drugs suspect was shot in an alleged extrajudicial killing in 2018. Rights groups say Rodrigo Duterte’s drugs war claimed more than 12,000 lives. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:49pm, 27 Jan 2025

For years, the Philippines stood firm on its rejection of the International Criminal Court having jurisdiction over thousands of deaths linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

But now, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has hinted at a tentative opening for “limited areas of cooperation” with the ICC in a move observers are calling “a welcome development”.

Speaking to Reuters on January 23, Remulla revealed that talks with the ICC were on the horizon, noting they would proceed “in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity”.

“Some people are trying to bridge the divide to bring us together, so we can sit at one table,” he said.

This marks a shift under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whose administration initially mirrored Duterte’s defiance of the ICC. The Philippines withdrew from the court’s Rome Statute in 2018, shielding Duterte from ICC jurisdiction.

The ICC has launched an investigation into Duterte’s drug war, which human rights groups say claimed more than 12,000 lives. While Marcos’ administration previously vowed not to “lift a finger” to assist the court, Remulla’s recent remarks suggest a different approach.