MANILA – Malacañang insisted that the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte due to a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is in accordance with the law.
According to Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro, the Philippine government was forced to turnover Duterte to ICC as it has to honor its commitments to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“Unang-una po, ang pamahalaan po, ang administrasyon po, gumawa po ng hakbang na naaayon sa batas at ito po ay in cooperation with the Interpol,” Castro said in a media briefing at the Malacañang Palace.
“Siya po ay kinu-konsiderang isang akusado, isang suspek sa crimes against humanity, particularly murder na ang nagsampa rin po ay kapwa Pilipino na diumanong biktima ng extrajudicial killings ng madugong war on drugs,” she added.
“Ang ginawa ng pamahalaan ay hindi naman po pagsuko ng soberanya kundi pagsuko ng isang akusado,” she further said.
On Tuesday, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio accused President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. of committing an impeachable offense for allegedly allowing the arrest of her father and his eventual transfer to the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands.
According to the Vice President, the Chief Executive violated the Constitution and betrayed public trust by allowing “foreign jurisdiction” to meddle in Philippine sovereignty, but Castro called this statement as “baseless.”
“Hindi po ibebenta o isusuko man ng Pangulo ang anumang parte ng ating karapatan sa bansa kaninuman. Ang opinyon na nanggagaling sa ating Bise Presidente ay walang pinanggagalingan, walang basehan,” Castro said.
The Ombudsman on Tuesday directed Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director Major General Nicolas Torre III, Philippine National Police Chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and Special Envoy on Transnational Crimes Markus Lacanilao to respond to the complaint regarding the legality of Duterte’s arrest./PN
