MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. confirmed on Tuesday that the Philippine government adhered to all legal processes in the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“We followed all the necessary legal procedures. I’m confident that further examination will show it was done properly and correctly,” Marcos stated during a press conference. He emphasized there was a “very good basis” to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Duterte.
Marcos rejected claims of unlawful action, explaining that the arrest was carried out in compliance with a request from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to enforce the ICC warrant. He stressed the government was fulfilling its obligations to Interpol, not cooperating with the ICC directly.
“This isn’t about the ICC. It’s about Interpol’s request, and we honor our commitments to them,” Marcos said.
He also refuted allegations of political persecution, highlighting that the case dates back to 2017 when the Philippines was still a member of the ICC under Duterte’s administration. “I don’t see how this can be political persecution, as this was initiated before I even took office,” he added.
Marcos assured that the official arrest warrant against Duterte, signed by ICC judges on March 7, would be made public for transparency.
Duterte was arrested on Tuesday morning upon returning from Hong Kong at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and was subsequently transferred to Villamor Air Base. The official ICC arrest order was received by Interpol Manila earlier that day.
The ICC is investigating Duterte for crimes against humanity related to deaths linked to his war on drugs during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and as president. Although the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in March 2019, the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.
Duterte was flown to The Hague, Netherlands, on a chartered plane later that evening to face charges at the ICC headquarters.
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