Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, on Friday, clarified that she has no plans to formally invite Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, lead defense counsel of former President Rodrigo Duterte, to the Philippines, but said she would welcome him should he choose to visit.
These remarks come after Kaufman expressed willingness to travel to Manila if invited by Castro to discuss the interim release of Duterte, during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday, February 26.
“If she wants to invite me to Manila, I’ll be happy to come in and discuss the interim release of Mr. Duterte,” Kaufman said.
In response, Castro stated that while she would be “more than happy” to treat Kaufman during his visit, any discussions on Duterte’s interim release were off the table. Instead, she suggested showing him the country’s culture and street food.
“First of all, I'm not inviting him. If ever, everybody is welcome to see the beauty of our country. Welcome lahat ng tourists, lahat ng turista, pati pamilya kasama iyan. And if he will be coming to the Philippines, I am more than happy to treat him. Buy him balut, bagoong, kwek-kwek, IUD, adidas,” she said.
She added, “But I will not discuss about the interim release because it has already been dissolved by the ICC.”
She further said that they will only talk about the beauty of Palawan, El Nido, and Manila Zoo.
Meanwhile, Castro also criticized Kaufman’s comments on the current administration, noting that he appeared focused on alleged drug-related killings under President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., despite representing Duterte.
“Nakakapagtaka na ang kliyente niya rito ay ang dating Pangulong Duterte, pero bakit ang mata niya naka-focus kay Pangulong Marcos Jr. Depensa niya po ba ito? Kasi kung depensa niya po ito, nakakatawa,” Castro said.
She emphasized that if Kaufman’s allegations have merit, they should be investigated by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), adding that the President will not tolerate abuses.
Regarding the defense’s use of the term “neutralize” in reference to Duterte, Castro explained that the word was used to argue that the former president had no hand in the killings and that it was meant to imply lawful arrest, not execution. The defense also described Duterte’s pronouncements as hyperbole, which should not be interpreted as orders to kill.
However, Castro said that Kaufman used the term “neutralize” to avoid it being interpreted in Filipino as meaning “to kill,” applying it in a more general sense. She noted, however, that in the Philippines, when law enforcement or the military uses the word “neutralize,” it is often a euphemism for killing. The same, she added, applies to the term “tokhang,” which in Filipino generally implies that a person will be killed.
"Ginamit niya ang word na neutralize para hindi masabi na yung word neutralize sa Filipino term natin ay to kill. So ginamit niya ito para in general magagamit siya in some other way. Pero sa Pilipinas, pag sinabi mong neutralize and ang gumamit nito ay ang law enforcement agencies, military, when you say neutralize, it's a euphemism for killing. Pati yung word na tokhang. Sa Filipino term, pag sinabi mong na tokhang ka o itotokhang ka, it means kill,” she said.
She added that this is a standard legal defense tactic and should not be blamed on the lawyers.
"Hindi natin sila masisisi doon. Eh trabaho po ng abogado 'yon. Especially po ay siya naman ang binabayaran ng pamilya Duterte or may natatanggap siyang professional fee for that," she noted.
