Malacañang to make sure Duterte will get fair ICC trial

National

THE Philippine government assured that it will ensure that former President Rodrigo Duterte will get a fair trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a press briefing on Friday, March 14, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro pointed out that the government has no longer jurisdiction over Duterte, who was arrested and was brought by the ICC to The Hague in the Netherlands to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity during his administration’s drug war.

While the Philippine government is no longer obliged to assist Duterte, there is a law mandating the government to make sure that Duterte will get a fair trial, Castro said.

“But based on Republic Act (RA) 9851, as a Filipino — not just because he is a former president — former President Rodrigo Duterte also has the right to a fair trial. The government must ensure that due process is upheld, especially since Duterte is a Filipino citizen,” Castro said in a report by the Inquirer.

RA 9851 — the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity — defines and penalizes serious crimes.

Duterte was arrested last Tuesday, March 11, under an ICC warrant.

Castro also shrugged off Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s claims that the Marcos administration broke its promise of not cooperating with the ICC.

“We cannot have special treatment. Betrayal against a person, if they are being accused, cannot be considered an issue,” Castro said.

Dela Rosa was Duterte’s first national police chief. He was named co-accused in the complaint at the ICC.