HOUSE of Representatives – Kamanggagawa Partylist Rep. Elijah “Eli” San Fernando has filed a resolution today urging the Philippine government to formally join “The Hague Group”, a coalition of states seeking to hold Israel accountable for atrocities in Gaza and to uphold the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Formed in January 2025, The Hague Group—composed of Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa—has coordinated diplomatic and legal measures before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to pursue accountability for Israel’s violations of international law and acts of genocide in Gaza.
San Fernando underscored that the Philippines has both a moral and legal obligation to act, citing the country is a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention which led to the enactment of Republic Act No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
“Under our own laws, we are bound to prevent and punish genocide and other grave violations of international humanitarian law. We cannot stay silent while almost two million Palestinians, many of them children, are being slaughtered, starved, and displaced” he said.
In his undelivered privilege speech, San Fernando detailed the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, citing UN figures showing at least 67,000 Palestinians killed, 168,700 injured, and 1.9 million displaced since October 2023.
“Ang 67,000 na pinatay sa Gaza ay katumbas ng buong populasyon ng Pateros. Ang 168,000 sugatan ay kasing dami ng populasyon ng San Juan. At ang 1.9 milyon na nawalan ng tahanan ay kasing dami ng buong lungsod ng Maynila,” he said, emphasizing the unimaginable scale of devastation.
The resolution notes that the Philippines has historically supported multiple United Nations resolutions affirming Palestinian rights, including the 2023 UN vote calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. San Fernando emphasized that joining The Hague Group would be consistent with both the 1987 Constitution and the country’s treaty commitments, which uphold “peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.”
“Hindi pwedeng maging bulag o pipi ang gobyerno sa harap ng malawakang pagpatay at inhustisya,” San Fernando said. “Nakikita natin ang mga lawaran at ulat ng mga sanggol at bata na pinapatay, mga pamilya na winawasak, at mga komunidad, ospital at paaralang binobomba. Bilang isang bansang minsang sinakop, dapat nating tulungan ang mga kapatid nating Palestino na makamit ang kanilang kalayaan mula sa marahas na pananakop ng Israel.”
San Fernando recalled how the Philippines once stood on the right side of history.
“Under the leadership of then President Manuel Quezon, we admitted at least 1,200 Jewish people who were fleeing persecution from Nazi Germany. It was a brave act of moral clarity, a move grounded in our shared history of opposition to oppression, discrimination, and genocide. That same moral courage is demanded of us today.”
He added: “Hindi kailanman magiging neutral ang isang bayan na may konsensya. Kung tunay tayong naniniwala sa kapayapaan, hustisya, at dignidad ng bawat tao, dapat tayong makiisa sa mga bansang tumatayo para sa Palestina. Ang laban nila ay laban nating lahat.”
San Fernando concluded that the Philippines’ alignment with The Hague Group is not merely diplomatic positioning but an affirmation of the nation’s conscience and history.
“The Philippines must stand with Gaza today. To do so is not an act of political positioning; it is a reaffirmation of our own history, our humanity, and our national and international duty to prevent the repetition of humanity’s darkest chapters. History will not look at us kindly if we refuse to act,” he concluded.
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