By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – The Philippine government followed all the legal procedures in the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.
“We followed all the legal procedures that are necessary. I’m confident that in further examination, you will find that it is proper and correct,” Marcos said in a press conference, adding that there is a “very good basis” to serve the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Duterte.
Marcos denied that Duterte’s arrest was unlawful, saying the Philippine government was merely complying with the International Criminal Police Organization’s (Interpol) request to enforce the ICC order.
He also maintained that the Philippine government is not cooperating with the ICC.
“It’s a request to the Philippine government from Interpol to enforce the arrest warrant and of course, we comply with our commitments to Interpol,” the President said.
“We do not do this because it was derived from or came from ICC. We did this because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments with them and we live up to those commitments.”
He also denied claims that Duterte is being politically persecuted, stressing that the government is obliged to honor the terms of its membership with Interpol.
“Well, I’m sure sasabihin nila iyan (they would say that). But this case started in 2017 when we were still members of the ICC and it was during the time of former president Duterte. So, I don’t see how that can be political persecution on my part because it was initiated before I even came into the picture,” he said.
Marcos said there is a “physical copy” of the arrest warrant against Duterte.
He said the document would be made public for transparency.
“Again, the government is just doing its job. Wala namang (There is no)… It’s not because it’s one person or another that we do the things that we do. Maybe sa mga nakaraan na adminsitrasyon, baka ganoon ang ginagawa. Pero sa akin, hindi naman ganoon (Maybe in previous administrations, that’s how it was done. But for me, it’s not like that),” he said.
Duterte was taken into police custody on Tuesday morning upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City from Hong Kong and was transferred to Villamor Air Base.
The Interpol Manila on Tuesday morning received the official copy of the ICC’s arrest order against Duterte, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office.
The arrest warrant served to Duterte was signed by pre-trial chamber Presiding Judge Julia Antoanella Motoc and two other magistrates, Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera, on March 7.
The ICC is investigating Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity, in connection with the deaths associated with his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and president of the Philippines.
Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in March 2019, the chamber maintained that it still has jurisdiction over the alleged crimes committed in the country while it was still a state party to the Rome Statute from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
Duterte was flown out of the country Tuesday night via a chartered plane that would bring him to the Hague in the Netherlands, where the ICC headquarters is located. (PNA)
