Palace on reso seeking Digong’s ICC release: 'Noted'

Malacañang on Friday acknowledged the resolution filed in the Senate urging the government to pursue the interim release of former President Rodrigo Duterte and explore negotiations with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his possible house arrest.

On Thursday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano filed the resolution citing Duterte's deteriorating health, “attributed to old age and prolonged social isolation.” He warned that continued detention could seriously affect the former President’s emotional and physical well-being.

The proposal includes “an arrangement with the ICC for Duterte's custody to be transferred to the premises of the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, under a form of house arrest, modified house arrest, or any appropriate arrangement deemed suitable to any by the Court.”

“Nagsalita na po ang ating SOJ [Secretary of Justice] Boying Remulla patungkol po sa interim release. At kung may ganiyan pong mga suggestions mula kay Senator Alan Cayetano, noted,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty Claire Castro told reporters in a press briefing.

(Our SOJ Boying Remulla, has already spoken regarding the interim release. And if there are such suggestions from Senator Alan Cayetano, that is noted)

Asked further if the Palace will leave it up to the Department of Justice to decide, Castro stopped short of confirming any course of action.

“Sa mabibigay ko lang po ngayon (What I can say for now): noted," she said.

The proposed measure points to a precedent set in 2009, when the ICC granted interim release to Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo while awaiting a final decision on his sentence in a separate but related case.

Duterte is currently facing a formal investigation by the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his controversial war on drugs during his presidency. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, but the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.