OP funded Duterte’s ICC Flight — Remulla

The Office of the President (OP) chartered the silver Gulfstream jet with tail number RP-C5219 to transport former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed Thursday.

“The plane was chartered by the Office of the President. We brought him straight to the Netherlands at 11:03 p.m. on Tuesday, wheels up. We surrendered him to the International Criminal Court,” Remulla said in an interview with ANC.

Remulla also revealed that the government, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), is conducting its own investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings committed during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

“The rule of the DOJ is that they will not present a case without certainty of conviction and they were gathering evidence and they were about to file a case. There were no cases in court, (because) they were (still) investigating. The warrant was served (by the ICC),” he said.

Meanwhile, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co denied ownership of the private jet and dismissed as "fake news" claims that he was sent by the administration to coordinate with the ICC regarding Duterte’s arrest.

Co, a known ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and a key figure in the House of Representatives, categorically refuted allegations that he traveled to The Hague to engage with the international tribunal.

"While I confirm that I recently traveled abroad, it was solely for a scheduled personal meeting in Rome and had nothing to do with the ICC," Co clarified.

His statement came after DAILY TRIBUNE sought confirmation from his office following an anonymous tip claiming he was Marcos’ “appointed representative” to the ICC in relation to Duterte’s case.