The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday clarified that the government continues to recognize the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant as valid in the cases involving former President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, regardless of whether an Interpol Red Notice has been issued.

In an interview, DOJ spokesperson Atty. Raphael Martinez said the same principle applies to both cases, stressing that the government considers the ICC warrant “valid and existing.”

“So I just want to make that clear. Whether or not there is an Interpol Red Notice, the same factor applies to both cases of former President Duterte and Senator Bato right now, is that the warrant is valid and that the government does deem it as valid and existing,” Martinez said.

Martinez explained that while there is currently no Interpol Red Notice issued against dela Rosa, this does not lessen the government’s recognition of the ICC warrant.

“We know that in this particular instance, there’s no Interpol Red Notice. So it’s not by virtue of our membership to Interpol,” he said. “With that being said, that doesn’t diminish the value we ascribe to the warrant because it is valid.”

The DOJ official also confirmed that the government recognizes the ICC warrant against dela Rosa as valid, although authorities are waiting for the Supreme Court’s action on pending petitions before enforcing it.

“While the issues are pending, we stand down in enforcing the warrant, notwithstanding the fact that it is valid,” Martinez said.

Martinez added that the term “fugitive” is a technical legal designation that can only be determined by the courts.

He also acknowledged that coordination took place among government agencies, including the DOJ, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, regarding the ICC warrant, but declined to identify who specifically ordered the attempted service of the warrant at the Senate last Monday.