Palace, Rody aware of warrant but no confirmation yet
Malacañang said yesterday the government is prepared to act on any eventuality amid reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued an arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo 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,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Ad Interim Secretary Jay Ruiz said in a statement on Sunday.
“The government is prepared for any eventuality,” he added.
However, the Palace clarified that it had not received official notice from the ICC regarding the supposed arrest warrant, even as it reiterated its willingness to cooperate with the global tribunal provided it courses its requests through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“But as ES [Executive Secretary Lucas] Bersamin and SOJ [Secretary of Justice] said before, if Interpol will ask for the necessary assistance from the government, it will provide [the requested assistance],” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said.
She added that a hold-departure order would likely follow if a warrant of arrest is issued.
For his part, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said, “We have not received any notice or communication from the ICC regarding the matter.”
“Our Department of Foreign Affairs is the official entry point for any such notice or communication as a matter of diplomatic courtesy,” he explained.
It can be recalled that while the Philippines remains a non-ICC member, the Marcos administration assured cooperation with the tribunal through Interpol, an intergovernmental organization to which Manila remains a member.
In 2019, the Philippine government withdrew its ICC membership after the tribunal began investigating the former president and his top officials for alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
These summary executions killed over 6,000 individuals based on official police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths were as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings.
During a congressional inquiry in October 2024, Duterte told lawmakers that he would take “full, legal responsibility” for the war on drugs despite being firm that he would not apologize for the bloody campaign.
