Raul Pangalangan

Raul Pangalangan
Pangalangan in 2014
Judge of the International Criminal Court
In office
June 24, 2015 – May 16, 2021
Nominated byPhilippines
Appointed byAssembly of States Parties
Preceded byMiriam Defensor Santiago
Dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig College of Law
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 20, 2026
Preceded byOffice established
Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law
In office
1999–2005
Preceded byMerlin M. Magallona
Succeeded bySalvador T. Carlota
Personal details
BornRaul Cano Pangalangan
(1958-09-01) September 1, 1958
SpouseElizabeth Aguiling Pangalangan
EducationUniversity of the Philippines Diliman (BA and LLB)
Harvard University (LLM and JSD)

Raul Cano Pangalangan (born September 1, 1958) is a Filipino jurist and academic administrator who served as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2015 to 2021. He was elected to the office through a special election called after the resignation of his predecessor, compatriot Miriam Defensor Santiago.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP), Pangalangan pursued postgraduate education at Harvard Law School. In 1999, he was appointed as the dean of UP Law, holding that post until 2005. He then served as publisher of the Philippine Daily Inquirer from 2012 to 2015. Following his tenure as a judge of the ICC, he was appointed as the inaugural dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig College of Law in May 2026, and in the same month was named chairman of the Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the Philippine drug war.

Early life and education

Raul Cano Pangalangan studied political science and law (LLB) at the University of the Philippines and is a member of the UP Alpha Sigma fraternity.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1984.[2] He then earned his Master of Laws (1986) and Doctor of Juridical Science (1990) degrees from Harvard Law School in the United States.[3]

Career

As a professor of law at the University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law), Pangalangan specialized in constitutional law and public international law. In 1998, he was a member of the Philippine delegation at the adoption of the Rome Statute that founded the International Criminal Court (ICC).[4] He then served as the dean of UP Law from 1999 to 2005.[3][5]

From 2012 until his 2015 election to the ICC, Pangalangan was the publisher of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.[5][6] He has also been appointed as amicus curiae in constitutional law and international law cases before the Supreme Court of the Philippines.[2]

In June 2015, a special election was held by the ICC to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of one of its judges: Miriam Defensor Santiago, who was the first Filipina to be elected as an ICC judge but never took the bench, resigned in June 2014 due to poor health.[5][7][8] Pangalangan, who was nominated by the Philippines, received 59 votes and was elected as the new judge; the other nominee, Ibrahim Aljazy (nominated by Jordan), received 25 votes.[5][9][10] Pangalangan was sworn in as a judge on July 13.[11][12]

Pangalangan was the presiding judge of the chamber that convicted Islamist militant Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi of the war crime of destruction of cultural heritage during the Mali War.[13] Pangalangan was also a judge of the Trial Chamber IX that convicted Lord's Resistance Army commander Dominic Ongwen of 61 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.[14] Furthermore, Pangalangan was a judge of the Trial Chamber VII that convicted Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, of various offences against the administration of justice.[15]

Pangalangan was scheduled to serve out the remainder of Defensor Santiago's term until March 10, 2021. In March 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute after the ICC began a preliminary investigation into the country's war on drugs. The withdrawal would take effect after one year in accordance with the Rome Statute. Despite the withdrawal, the ICC made it clear that Pangalangan will remain as a judge since "the Rome Statute only refers to a requirement of State Party nationality at the time of election but not afterwards."[16][17] Pangalangan remained in office until May 16, 2021, to finish ongoing proceedings in accordance with paragraph 10, article 36 of the Rome Statute.[18][19]

On May 21, 2026, the government of Pasig established the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig College of Law, with Pangalangan accepting his appointment as the inaugural dean before the university's board of regents a day earlier.[20] Later on May 27, the independent and civilian-led Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission (or the EJK Truth Commission) was formally launched, with Pangalangan named as commission chair, to investigate the war on drugs initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte. He stated that the commission's purpose is "to ensure that the stories of victims, survivors, and families are heard, verified, and preserved. This is not about replacing the courts or assigning guilt. It is about building a credible truth record that can guide accountability, healing, reform, and the prevention of future violence."[21]

References

  1. ↑ Pangalangan, Raul C. (October 4, 2012). "Misdirected critiques of Cybercrime Law". Inquirer.net. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Former UP Law Dean Raul Cano Pangalangan Retires from the International Criminal Court". law.upd.edu.ph. University of the Philippines College of Law. July 4, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "PANGALANGAN, Raul C. (Philippines) Statement of qualifications" (PDF). International Criminal Court. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ McCormack, Timothy (2023). "Contributions to International Humanitarian Law in the Philippines and Beyond: Interview with His Excellency Judge Raul Pangalangan". In Linton, Suzannah; McCormack, Tim; Sivakumaran, Sandesh (eds.). Asia-Pacific Perspectives on International Humanitarian Law. Cambridge University Press. pp. 50–58. ISBN 9781108497244.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Esguerra, Anthony Q. (June 25, 2015). "Inquirer publisher Raul Pangalangan elected ICC judge". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ Garcellano, Rosario A. (October 23, 2012). "Former UP law dean is new Inquirer publisher". Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  7. ↑ Yamsuan, Cathy; Santos, Tina G. (December 14, 2011). "Miriam Santiago wins seat in international court". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ Divina, Thea Alexandra; Liquicia, Jezer Rei (March 19, 2025). "The ICC Judge That Might Have Been – Miriam Defensor-Santiago's Appointment". Metropolitan. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Former UP Law dean elected to Int'l Criminal Court". Rappler. June 25, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – Resumed thirteenth session – The Hague, 24–25 June 2015 – Official Records" (PDF). International Criminal Court. p. 6. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ Lozada, Aaron (July 14, 2015). "Pangalangan sworn in as ICC judge". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Newly elected ICC Judge Raul Pangalangan to be sworn in on 13 July 2015". International Criminal Court. July 8, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi: Islamist rebel gets nine years' jail time for Timbuktu 'cultural destruction'". ABC News. September 27, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ongwen is guilty; now get us Kony, says US". Rwanda Today. February 8, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Bemba et al. case: Trial Chamber VII issues sentences for five convicted persons". law.najah.edu. Faculty of Law and Political Science, An-Najah National University. April 2, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ Buan, Lian (March 16, 2018). "Int'l Criminal Court: Judge Pangalangan stays on despite PH withdrawal". Rappler. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Viray, Patricia Lourdes (March 19, 2018). "Pangalangan to finish term as ICC judge despite Philippine withdrawal". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan". International Criminal Court. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Ex-UP Law dean Raul Pangalangan retires from ICC". GMA Network News. May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  20. ↑ Danio, James Daniel (May 22, 2026). "Pasig launches law school for poor students". The Manila Times. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  21. ↑ Laqui, Ian (May 27, 2026). "Church, civilian-led truth body formed on drug war killings". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
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