The Philippine diplomatic mission in The Hague, the Netherlands, has yet to receive a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday morning.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo confirmed this on the sidelines of his meeting with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon who is currently on a two-day visit to Manila.
“No directive,” Manalo said when asked if he had received instructions from the President concerning Duterte’s case, particularly in relation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is based in The Hague.
Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC in connection with his administration’s controversial war on drugs, which allegedly resulted in thousands of deaths. Government data showed at least 7,000 deaths, although human rights groups estimated the actual number could be as high as 30,000.
Manalo clarified that the Department of Foreign Affairs had no role in Duterte’s arrest, as the Philippines had withdrawn from the Rome Statute in 2018, which means the country was no longer part of the ICC.
“We have not been in communication with them since we left,” he said, deferring questions on the arrest to agencies like the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, and Philippine National Police.
The Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute took effect in March 2019.
Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on his return from Hong Kong where he attended an event hosted by the Kingdom of Jesus Christ for overseas Filipino workers.
During the event, Duterte reiterated that his actions during the anti-narcotics campaign were for the benefit of the Filipino people, not for personal gain.
“Why did I do that? For myself? For my family? For you and your child and for the nation,” he said in Filipino.