Escudero: No attempt to stop Senate probe into Duterte鈥檚 arrest
Senate President Francis Escudero. Photo from Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — There was no attempt to stop the Senate panel on foreign affairs’ probe into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest, Senate President Francis Escudero said on Monday.
He denied rumors that he attempted to halt the probe conducted on March 20.
“Hindi totoo yan. Ayaw ko na sanang magkomentaryo sa chismis, pero sige na. Hindi at hindi kami nagkausap kaugnay niyan,” Escudero said.
(That is not true. As much as possible, I don’t want to comment on such rumors, but here it is. No, I did not and we did not even talk about that.)
“Sa katunayan, winelcome nga ng Palasyo ang pagdinig, hindi ba? Bilang pagkakataon para maipaliwanag nila ang kanilang posisyon at mailabas ang ilang mga paglilinaw,” he added.
(In fact, the Palace even welcomed the hearing, right? That was a chance to clear out their position on certain things.)
The Senate panel on foreign affairs, headed by presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos, launched a probe into Duterte’s arrest, specifically seeking to confirm that “all measures were taken to protect” the former president’s rights under domestic laws and international treaties.
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Duterte was arrested on March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon his return from Hong Kong. This was based on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, charging him with crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign during his presidency.
Shortly after his arrest, Duterte was transported to The Hague in The Netherlands to face the charges before the international court.
