Sara describes arrest as ‘state kidnapping’

The House quad committee will “most likely” submit the relevant documents, including hearing transcripts, if they are he had it coming even if it’s not following the law?” she said.

“I told you, they will do whatever they want even if it’s wrong. They will do whatever they want, even if it’s wrong,” she added.

The Vice President, who left for The Hague on Wednesday to see her father, also lambasted the issuance of the arrest warrant, saying the former president should have been brought before a local court, not directly to the ICC.

“According to the rules of the ICC, the defendant should be taken to a local court. He should have been brought to a court here, and our process here should have been followed for the warrant’s implementation,” Duterte said.

“The way they were doing it, there was no consultation with the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.). It was very easy for him to say do not turn him over to the ICC. You can detain him here, wherever in the Philippines, but don’t send him wherever the ICC says,” she added.

The Vice President emphasized that her father’s arrest should not distract from the nation’s real issues.

“The real problem is the high prices of goods, the poverty of our people, the corruption in our budget, the lack of development projects, what happened with PhilHealth, and what’s happening now,” she said in Filipino.

“It feels like we’re stagnant, not moving forward. We’re just standing still, and nothing is happening to address poverty in the country. That’s the real problem, not the ICC and not impeachment,” she said.

Palace debunks state kidnapping

Malacañang dismissed the claim the arrest of former president Duterte was a “state kidnapping.”

In a briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro questioned what the Vice President meant by a “state kidnapping.”

“What are the elements of a kidnapping? It’s a forcible act without authority,” she said.

She pointed out that Duterte’s arrest could not be considered a kidnapping because there was a court-issued warrant.

“How can it be a kidnapping if there was a warrant of arrest issued by a court?” Castro said, underscoring the obligation to comply with a court order, especially when facilitated through Interpol.

She added, “We cannot just turn our back on or harm the authorities serving a warrant.”

She noted that following a court order is a legal requirement, asserting that the ICC arrest was legitimate.

“There was no force involved, and all the elements for a valid warrant and Interpol assistance were in place,” she said.

Issue of sovereignty

Former senator Gringo Honasan also weighed in on the matter, emphasizing that it is not about political loyalties, but the country’s sovereignty.

“Both President Bongbong Marcos and Justice Secretary Boying Remulla have consistently asserted that the Philippine justice system is functioning and that we are not a failed state,” Honasan said on his Facebook page.

“If there are charges against former President Duterte, then our own courts, not the International Criminal Court and its foreign judges, must handle the case,” he said.

“I myself have been arrested, charged, imprisoned, and later granted amnesty. My entire legal process transpired under the jurisdiction of our national courts,” he added.

“What is happening now sets a dangerous precedent — one that raises serious questions about our nation’s sovereignty and our ability to uphold our justice system. The rule of law must prevail. Our justice system should not be dictated upon by foreign influence or international pressure,” he stressed.