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 in the Netherlands.

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

The proposal included “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 by the Court.”

“Our SoJ Boying Remulla has already spoken regarding the interim release. And if there are such suggestions from Senator Alan Cayetano, that is noted,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

Asked if the Palace would leave it to the Department of Justice to decide, Castro stopped short of confirming a course of action.

“What I can say for now is — noted,” she said.

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

Duterte is facing a trial at the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity committed in connection with his bloody war on drugs during his presidency.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, but the court maintained jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.