MANILA – The government is prepared if ever the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue a warrant of arrest against former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity.
According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) ad interim secretary Jay Ruiz, they have yet to receive a confirmed information regarding the issuance of an arrest warrant against Duterte.
“We’ve heard that an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. The government is prepared for any eventuality,” Ruiz said.
Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro, for her part, stressed: “As what ES [Executive Secretary Lucas] Bersmin and SOJ [Secretary of Justice] said before, if Interpol will ask the necessary assistance from the government, it will provide.”
Meanwhile, the camp of former President Duterte denied reports that he will hide in Hong Kong to evade the arrest warrant from ICC.
According to his former spokesperson, Atty. Salvador Panelo, Duterte flew to Hong Kong on Friday morning for his scheduled meeting with overseas Filipino workers on Sunday at the Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai.
“He is expected to thank OFWs for their continued support for him and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte,” said Panelo, who added that he will join the former President in the event.
According to a report by Politiko, Duterte boarded Cathay Pacific flight CX912, which departed from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 8:41 a.m. on Friday and arrived in Hong Kong at 10:25 a.m.
The former President had traveled from Davao City to Manila on March 6, and stayed overnight in Taguig City before heading to the airport for his flight to Hong Kong.
The ICC is investigating Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on illegal drugs, dating back to his time as Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Rome Statute — the treaty that established the ICC — in 2018, with the withdrawal taking effect in 2019, after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into his administration’s drug war.
Duterte’s successor, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has been firm in his stance that he will not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Philippines./PN
