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On Thursday, Philippine senators questioned government officials about their move to surrender ex-president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court last week. The nation’s justice minister refuted claims of prior coordination regarding his arrest.
On March 11, Duterte was apprehended and immediately flown to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands to address allegations of crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs, during which numerous people lost their lives.
At the hearing on Thursday, Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla stated that the government maintained a distance from the ICC until they received the arrest warrant through Interpol.
"To date, we have not communicated with the ICC, either formally or informally," he stated at the hearing convened by Senator Imee Marcos, who is a close acquaintance of Vice President Sara Duterte and the daughter of the former leader under detention.
However, Senator Imee Marcos, who is the sister of former President Ferdinand Marcos, highlighted certain wording within the Interpol diffusion—a less formal variant of a red notice—that she argued indicated greater collaboration.
"The notification states that this dissemination was initiated following preliminary discussions with the Philippine government, which has consented to adhere to this requisition for apprehension," as per the document dated March 10.
However, Remulla stated that the phrasing in the notice was more like "a standard form letter" rather than being a direct mention of the Duterte arrest.
He stated, 'When it was brought up that they collaborated with the Philippine government, I wondered about whom they were referring to since it wasn’t us.'
Just a few weeks ago, the Philippine government consistently maintained its stance of refusing to work with ICC investigators, arguing that they lacked jurisdiction because Duterte withdrew from the international organization in 2019.
This shift occurred recently when government officials stated they would feel compelled to take action if they received a request from Interpol.
Duterte seeks legal aid
Attending the hearing through a video link from The Hague, the vice president asserted that her father's arrest was intended to weaken the opposition against the current leader — with whom she has had a dramatic falling out.
"All of this revolves around politics. The administration is leveraging governmental assets, like the ICC, to dismantle their opponents," she stated.
One hour later, she held an online meeting where she encouraged voters to express their dissatisfaction by supporting her party’s candidates during the upcoming May midterm elections.
"The former president might have been subjected to extraordinary rendition because they were concerned that the whole country would elect all ten of our senatorial candidates," she stated.
The conflict between the Duterte and Marcos families, which has been ongoing since their collaboration led to a decisive victory in the 2022 presidential elections, erupted into open hostility this year.
A month ago, the vice president faced impeachment over allegations involving a supposed assassination attempt against her previous running mate. She currently awaits a Senate trial which will determine her political prospects.
On Thursday, Duterte mentioned that she had discussed matters with her newly appointed chief lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, and told him that her family might opt to obtain assistance in funding their legal expenses through the ICC’s legal aid program.
She mentioned, 'I informed him yesterday about the significant chance that we might seek legal aid, which means the case won’t be financed privately,' she explained.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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