FPRRD's surrender to ICC 'not diversionary tactic,' says Palace
Philippine News Agency
By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
March 19, 2025, 4:38 pm
MANILA -- Malacañang denied Wednesday that former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was a diversionary tactic to deflect scrutiny from issues surrounding the Philippine Health Insurance's (PhilHealth) idle fund and the 2025 national budget.
This, after Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte accused the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of singling out his family.
Duterte also claimed that the Marcos administration was trying to divert public attention from concerns over the transfer of PhilHealth's excess funds to the national treasury and the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Malacañang is ready to answer these issues.
"Mayroon na po kami. Hindi lamang po namin ipinapalabas ngayon dahil nga po ang issue ngayon ay patungkol po dito sa ICC at baka hindi po maintindihan ng tao kapag ibang issue ang pinag-uusapan. Pero madali pong i-explain kung ano pong nangyari sa PhilHealth (We already have it. We are not just releasing it now because the issue today is about the ICC and people might not understand it, ig we talk about other issues. But it is easy to explain what happened to PhilHealth)," Castro said.
"At 'yung tungkol po sa GAA, hayaan po natin dahil ang sabi po natin, sumusunod tayo sa principle, enrolled bill principle (And as for the GAA, let's leave it because as we said, we follow the principle, the enrolled bill principle)," she added.
Castro reiterated that the crimes against humanity charges was filed against Duterte at the ICC before Marcos' presidency.
She also clarified that the ICC's arrest warrant is only issued for Duterte, adding that there is no arrest order yet against other respondents in the drug war case being investigated by the international chamber.
"So, walang sini-single out dito. Ang nangyayari dito, iyong mga kasong tungkol sa crimes against humanity kagagawan din po ng kaniyang ama na ibinibintang sa kanila (So, no one is being singled out here. What's happening here is that those cases about crimes against humanity are also the work of his father who is being accused)," Castro said.
"Tandaan po natin, ang kasong ito, uulit-ulitin natin, hindi po ito naisampa sa panahon ni Pangulong Marcos o ni PBBM. Panahon pa po ito mismo ng ama niya, ni dating Pangulong Duterte (Let's remember, this case, let's repeat it again, was not filed during the time of President Marcos or PBBM. It was during the time of his father, nor did former President Duterte)," she added.
Castro also maintained that the government is not cooperating with the ICC since it no longer has jurisdiction over the Philippines.
De Lima free to cooperate with ICC
Meantime, Castro said the government would not stop former senator Leila de Lima from cooperating with the ICC, in case the chamber allows her participation.
"Siguro kung iyan po naman po ay kaniyang boluntaryong gagawin at kung siya naman po ay papayagan sa ICC sa pamumuno po ng prosecutors sa ICC, hindi naman po tayo tututol diyan (Maybe if she does that voluntarily and if she is allowed to go to the ICC under the leadership of the ICC prosecutors, we will not object to that)," Castro said.
De Lima was charged with drug-related cases during the presidency of Duterte and detained at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City from 2017 to 2024.
She was eventually cleared of all three drug-related cases. (PNA)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
