MANILA – Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest detention at the International Criminal Court was “politically motivated,” according to a report by Senate committee on foreign relations.
According to the report, there was a supposed pattern of major political incidents before the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took action by arresting Duterte.
“After the pro-administration congressmen were forced to tone down the narrative to impeach VP (Vice President) Sara because of the massive Peace Rally by the INC (Iglesia ni Cristo) on January 13, 2025, the administration responded by concocting ‘Oplan Tugis’ or ‘Operation Pursuit’ followed by the statement of the Secretary of Justice (Boying Remulla) that the Marcos administration is open to sitting down with the ICC to discuss certain areas of cooperation,” said the committee report.
It added that Duterte’s arrest was a “whole-of-government effort” against the Duterte family, citing a document entitled “Mid-Election Final Campaign Sprint Action Plan” by the Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats.
“In the portion of the action plan entitled ‘How to Attack’, various government agencies, including the Philippine National Police and the House of Representatives, worked with former senator Antonio Trillanes in helping the ICC prosecutor obtain an ICC warrant for the arrest of FPRRD,” added the committee report.
Meanwhile, Presidential Communication Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro said the findings of the committee headed by presidential sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, are “no longer surprising.”
“Hindi na po siguro kataka-taka kung ganyan ang kanyang magiging opinyon. Bago pa naman siguro magka-hearing ay makikita na po natin kung saan ang gawi ni Sen. Imee Marcos,” Castro said.
Former President Duterte is facing 43 counts of murder at the ICC over crimes against humanity in his deadly war on drugs from 2011 to 2019.
Human rights groups estimated that around 30,000 individuals were killed during the cruel policy, while only a handful of police officers have been held accountable./PN
