MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Philippine government assisted in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte because it was a request from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and not due to the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clarified on Tuesday.
Marcos, in an address at Malaca帽ang after the plane carrying Duterte left Manila for The Hague in the Netherlands, stressed that it was the Interpol that asked for help in enforcing the ICC arrest order.
Duterte was stopped from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 earlier, as the Philippine National Police assisted Interpol in serving the arrest order from ICC.聽 This arrest order is related to the crimes against humanity raps faced by Duterte when he initiated the drug war during his administration.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very simple, it鈥檚 a request to the Philippine government from Interpol to enforce the arrest warrant. And of course, we comply with our commitments to Interpol.聽 We did not do this because it was derived from or it came from ICC, we did this because Interpol asked us to do it, and we have commitments to them, and we live up to those commitments,鈥� Marcos said.
When asked if Duterte鈥檚 arrest equates to ceding sovereignty鈥攁s a Filipino citizen was turned over to a foreign body鈥擬arcos disagreed, saying that he was consistent in not helping the ICC.
鈥淣o, bakit naman (mawawala ang soberanya)?聽 Dahil consistent naman tayo, hindi tayo tumutulong sa imbestigasyon ng ICC [鈥 meron tayong contact sa kanila natural pero, no, not on an official level, we did not help them in any way,鈥� the Chief Executive said.
(No, why would we lose our sovereignty?聽 We have been consistent, we did not help in the ICC investigation. We have contacts with them, naturally, but no, not on an official level, we did not help them in any way.)
鈥淭he arrest that we did today was in compliance with our commitments to Interpol.聽 It just so happened that that came from ICC.聽 But it鈥檚 not because it came from ICC, it鈥檚 because it came from Interpol,鈥� he explained.
Marcos in the past鈥攚hen political relations between his family and the Dutertes were still good鈥攈ad been adamant that the government would not help the ICC in its investigation of former President Duterte.
Last February 2024鈥攅ven when Duterte had already issued some choice words for Marcos and his allies鈥攖he incumbent president said his views that the government would not assist the ICC probe had not changed.
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Previously, Marcos also assured Duterte鈥檚 co-accused, former police chief and currently Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, that his administration would no longer engage with ICC after the international body rejected the Philippine government鈥檚 appeal to stop the investigation of crimes against humanity complaints.
READ: Bongbong Marcos: 鈥楾hat鈥檚 it; we鈥檙e done talking with ICC鈥�
However, there have been several rumors over the past months that ICC investigators have been coming in and out of the country to conduct its probe on Duterte鈥檚 drug war.
Then over the weekend, talks about the ICC possibly releasing an arrest order against Duterte mounted. During this time, the former president, his relatives and key allies, flew to Hong Kong to meet overseas Filipino workers.
In Hong Kong, the older Duterte addressed talks on the arrest order, saying that his actions during the war on illegal drugs were for the Philippines鈥� benefit.
Several official and independent investigations of the drug war however showed that there were many instances where innocent individuals were dragged into the anti-drug operations. In August 2017, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was summarily executed in Caloocan City even if he was not the original target of the operation.
The three police officers involved in the killing of Delos Santos were convicted of murder.
Earlier, Marcos clarified that the Philippines has to comply with its commitments to the Interpol regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 arrest, or else the government would not get any help for its future operations.