MANILA — Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II declared he will face the International Criminal Court (ICC) head-on and exhaust all legal remedies if an arrest warrant is issued against him over his alleged involvement in killings tied to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Aguirre, named in the ICC’s less redacted Document Containing the Charges as one of Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators, said he has no intention of going into hiding and instead plans to challenge the warrant before Philippine courts.
“Hindi ako magtatago kailanman. Nandito lang ako,” Aguirre said in a radio interview.
He stressed that any move by the ICC would be met with legal action, including efforts to block enforcement of the court’s processes in the Philippines, arguing that such actions may not conform with domestic law.
Aguirre also called on the Supreme Court to provide guidance on how Philippine authorities should respond should the ICC issue further arrest warrants against those named in the case.
“Ano ba ang dapat gawin? Dapat bang sundin o dapat ba nating gamitin ‘yung inilabas nilang rules tungkol sa extradition?” he said.
Aside from Aguirre, senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, along with several former Philippine National Police chiefs, were mentioned in the prosecution’s filing.
The ICC prosecutor alleged that Duterte and his associates carried out a coordinated campaign from November 2011 to March 2019 targeting suspected criminals, including those linked to illegal drugs, through violent means.
Aguirre firmly denied the accusations, dismissing them as fabricated.
“Imbento lang ‘yan ng mga nagpo-prosecute sa akin,” he said.
He maintained that during his tenure as Justice Secretary, he helped secure convictions in high-profile drug war cases, including those involving the deaths of teenagers Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman.
Aguirre also emphasized that he had no prior ties to officials in Davao City, where some of the alleged killings reportedly occurred before Duterte assumed the presidency.
“Nandito ako sa Manila, hindi naman ako taga Davao eh,” he said.
The ICC investigation focuses on allegations that the anti-drug campaign amounted to systematic attacks on civilians. Philippine authorities have previously questioned the ICC’s jurisdiction, noting that the country withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019./PN
