President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clarified that the Philippine government did not send any documents to the International Criminal Court (ICC) that led to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday.

“We don’t have — we don’t talk to the ICC. They asked us for a lot of documents, we didn’t give them any,” Marcos said during a press conference at Malacañang Palace.

While the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, Marcos emphasized that the government cannot ignore requests from Interpol.

“We just can’t ignore Interpol when they ask us for help,” he stated.

Marcos cited previous cases involving Filipino fugitives, including former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, former representative Arnie Teves, and Filipinos implicated in Myanmar human trafficking cases. He noted that Interpol’s assistance has been crucial in aiding Philippine authorities in law enforcement and investigations.

“That’s why we should offer our help. When they say, ‘help us with this,’ we help. That’s why we did that,” he explained.

No political persecution

Marcos dismissed allegations that Duterte’s arrest was politically motivated or intended to influence the 2028 national elections.

He pointed out that the case against Duterte began in 2017 when the Philippines was still a member of the ICC and Duterte himself was the sitting president.

“I don’t see how that can be political persecution on my part because the... it was initiated before I even came into the picture,” Marcos stated.

He also acknowledged that public reactions to the situation were expected.