Malacañang on Wednesday rejected Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration is weaponizing International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against its political opponents.
In an interview in Kazan, Russia, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro denied allegations that the administration was exploiting ICC proceedings to target political rivals.
Castro stressed that the ICC cases originated from complaints filed by Filipino citizens as early as 2017 concerning alleged abuses linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign.
“Unang-una alam naman natin ‘yung ICC, korte ito at meron namang kaso. May kaso na kapwa nating Pilipino ang nagsampa laban sa mga diumanong pang-aabuso patungkol sa EJK. So, huwag natin kalimutan iyan. Pilipino rin po ang nagsampa ng kaso,” Castro said.
She emphasized that any action taken by the ICC would be based on legal processes and not on political motivations.
“At kung magkakaroon man at mag-iisyu ng valid warrant of arrest, valid pa rin po yon at mayroon lamang silang nais na mapanagot. Bakit ba natin laging sinisisi ang Korte, sinisisi natin ang administrasyon?” Castro said.
Duterte made the allegation after claiming that a “highly reliable source” had informed him that the ICC had already issued arrest warrants against Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and two former Philippine National Police (PNP) officials.
Castro reiterated that the ICC complaints were filed nearly a decade ago and could not be attributed to the current administration.
“Huwag nating kalimutan ‘yung kaso (ICC) naisampa ito 2017 pa. So, hindi ito wine-weaponize,” she said.
She added that the government’s focus is on ensuring that demands for justice are properly addressed.
“Kinakailangan lang po na matugunan ang hiling ng mga kababayan natin na: Kung kailangan managot, dapat managot. Kung kailangan may malinis na pangalan, malinis ang pangalan. Ang nangyayari po kasi dito lagi na lang ginagamit itong isyu na ito para pagalitin ang kapwa nating Pilipino at pag-usapan ang tungkol sa soberanya,” Castro said.
“Tandaan po natin mayroon po tayong batas na mismong nagsasabi na tayo ang bansang Pilipinas ang state natin ay maaaring magsurrender ng mga respondents yun ay naayon sa Republic Act No. 9851,” she said.
Malacañang maintained that the ICC proceedings are independent legal matters and rejected suggestions that they are being manipulated for political purposes.
