The legal briefer being prepared by the Department of Justice (DoJ) for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the event the International Criminal Court (ICC) orders the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte was just “standard procedure,” Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said on Thursday.

In a Viber message to Palace reporters, Garafil said the DoJ’s action doesn’t indicate a shift in the President’s position, but rather a routine step to ensure that the administration is prepared for any scenario.

“The President’s stance on the ICC remains clear and consistent,” Garafil said. “However, it is the duty of the Department of Justice to explore all legal avenues and ensure that the President is fully informed of his options.”

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has claimed that numerous police officers are collaborating with the ICC’s probe into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. He averred that Duterte could expect an arrest warrant by June of this year.

The DoJ said the briefer is being conducted “with the understanding that policy frameworks could change.”

According to Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano, the briefing will address the potential consequences of the Philippines remaining outside the ICC or rejoining it, along with any legal obligations that may arise.

Clavano made the comment in response to inquiries regarding the potential issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC in connection with the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, as Trillanes said.

However, Marcos has consistently maintained that the Philippines is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC, asserting that the nation possesses a strong and effective legal system and law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Duterte’s former spokesperson and counsel, Salvador Panelo, said the DoJ statement on the briefer it is preparing “demonstrates its ignorance or pretended ignorance” of President Marcos’s repeated statement that the “ICC has no jurisdiction” over the Philippines “and will not cooperate with it in any shape or form.”

“The issuance of a warrant of arrest — and any attempt to serve it — against a Filipino citizen is an outright and brazen assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Philippines,” Panelo said.

“The DoJ should follow the policy laid down by PBBM on the ICC and not undermine it. It should refrain from sowing intrigue and stop making the President look like he would renege on his unequivocal stand against the ICC’s intrusion on our legal system,” he added.