Cheyenne Suarez

Palace denies Paolo Duterte’s claim ICC warrants 'weaponized' vs Marcos critics

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<p>KAZAN, Russia — Malacañang on Wednesday belied Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration has been weaponizing arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to go after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s political foes in the Philippines.</p><p>Duterte earlier said an ICC arrest warrant is set to be served to Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, one of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s co-perpetrators in his crimes against humanity case before the international tribunal.</p><p>“May kaso na kapwa natin Pilipino ang nagsampa laban sa mga di umano pang aabuso tungkol sa EJK (extrajudicial killings). Mga Pilipino din po ang nagsampa ng kaso,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters here.</p><p>“So bakit po ba natin laging sinisisi ang korte, sinisisi natin ang administrasyon? Huwag natin kalimutan na ang kaso ay naisampa ito 2017 pa,” she said.</p><p>“Hindi ito wineweaponize. Kailangan lang po na matugunan lang din ang hiling ng mga kababayan natin. Kung kailangan na may managot, dapat managot. Kung kailangan na may malinis ang pangalan, malinis ang pangalan,” she said.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Miqj3mZyD6A?&amp;t=11s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Castro also blasted Rep. Duterte for using the ICC case to rile up some Filipinos against the incumbent administration.</p><p>“Ang nangyayari kasi dito, lagi na lang ginagamit ang issue na ito para galitin ang kapwa nating Pilipino at pag-usapan ang tungkol sa soberanya,” she said.</p><p>“Tandaan po natin na mayroon tayong batas na mismo na nagsasabi na tayong bansang Pilipinas, ang state natin, ay maaaring magsurrender ng mga respondents,” she said.</p><p>The Duterte patriarch had pulled the Philippines out of the ICC shortly after the international tribunal began looking into allegations of state-sponsored police abuse and wanton killings of suspected drug users and peddlers.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gMUHV-3gvao?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>But the Marcos government asserted that the Philippines has its own law on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, which the administration has been using as legal basis to implement ICC arrest orders.</p><p>Former President Duterte was arrested and brought to a detention facility in March 2025, while Philippine authorities continue to look for former police chief-turned-senator Ronald Dela Rosa who has been in hiding to evade arrest for being the chief implementer of the former administration’s drug war.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uyt7dsXXA1k?&amp;t=67s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p><i>Malacañang on Wednesday belied Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration has been weaponizing arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court to go after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s political foes.</i></p>

Malacañang on Wednesday belied Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration has been weaponizing arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court to go after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s political foes.