By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — Malacañang will not prevent former President Rodrigo Duterte from surrendering to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he chooses to do so.
“If the former President desires to submit himself to the jurisdiction of the ICC, the government will neither object to nor hinder the fulfillment of his wish,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Bersamin also stated that the government is prepared to cooperate with Interpol if it issues a Red Notice.
“If the ICC refers the process to Interpol, resulting in a red notice being transmitted to Philippine authorities, the government will be obliged to consider the notice a request to be honored. Domestic law enforcement agencies would then be bound to provide full cooperation to Interpol, following established protocols,” he explained.
During the House quad committee hearing on Wednesday, Duterte, who was present as a resource person, urged the ICC to expedite the investigation against him.
“I am asking the ICC to hurry up. If possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow. This issue has been left hanging for so many years,” Duterte said.
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