Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. emphasized on Thursday the military had no involvement in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, after questions were raised about it during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing.

Teodoro explained that both the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are not mandated to enforce laws but may be tasked with supporting the Philippine National Police (PNP) if requested.

“The Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have no law enforcement mandate. Our sole mandate is to give support to the Philippine National Police when it is asked for. And, therefore, such ends our jurisdiction,” Teodoro stated.

The clarification came after Vice President Sara Duterte questioned why the AFP, which is responsible for securing former presidents, allowed the arrest of her father to happen.

Teodoro said the AFP’s involvement was strictly in support of the PNP, pointing out that questioning such orders would undermine civilian control over the military.

“Our jurisdiction ends in providing support to the Philippine National Police. And with respect to the Presidential Security Command, that is a highly secure unit and operational security is strictly followed,” he explained.

Senator Imee Marcos, committee chair, raised questions about the military’s role, particularly in allowing the use of Villamor Airbase.

She noted the absence of the Philippine Air Force at the hearing and asked why the military was involved in the logistics of the former president’s arrest.

Teodoro, however, refrained from discussing operational details, maintaining that the AFP’s role was limited to providing support, not taking a principal role in the arrest.

During the hearing, the PNP said it served former president Duterte with an electronic copy of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant upon his arrival from Hong Kong on 11 March.

Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said the warrant was presented to Duterte following his flight into the country from Hong Kong. “They really wanted to have the copy of the warrant — that’s why a soft copy was given to them in the tube,” Torre said.

For his part, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año denied being part of any “grand conspiracy” surrounding the arrest. He clarified that his role was to ensure the situation did not escalate into a national security issue.

“I was merely doing my job when I was accused of being one of the planners of Duterte’s ICC arrest,” he stated.

The arrest followed Duterte’s indictment by the ICC for crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs, a nationwide campaign that led to thousands of deaths.

The ICC has stated that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed before the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019.