Benito Ranque, co-convenor of the “Bring PRRD Home” movement, revealed that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was informed in advance of the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ranque said Duterte was urged to remain in Hong Kong under China’s protection but he rejected the plan, choosing instead to return to the Philippines and face the charges.
“I know what I am doing; let them arrest me,” Duterte was quoted as saying by one of his advisers.
Before a rally of overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong, Duterte said he was ready to face arrest by the ICC, explaining that his war on drugs was for the benefit of Filipinos.
Ranque also revealed that Duterte was aware the Office of the President has chartered a jet to transport him to the Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC.
In a television interview, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla admitted his role in the operation to arrest Duterte and transport him directly to The Hague.
“The plane was chartered by the Office of the President. We brought him straight to the Netherlands at 11:03 p.m. (Tuesday) and we surrendered him to the ICC,” Ranque quoted Remulla as saying.
Remulla named President Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Rep. Zaldy Co, and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro as the core group for the operation.
Ranque theorized that someone within the operation leaked the information to Duterte, warning him in advance to help him evade the trap set for him.
“But Tatay Digong had already made up his mind, and the rest is history,” Ranque said.
Meanwhile, daily prayer rallies will be held in various parts of the country to seek divine intervention for the return of Duterte, who is detained at the ICC detention center in The Hague, organizers announced on Saturday.
The kickoff rally was to be held at Liwasang Bonifacio on Saturday night, Ranque said, and will spread to other parts of the country as Duterte remains imprisoned.
Manny Lumanao, PDP-Laban president for the Caraga region, said nightly prayer rallies are held in the cities of Butuan, Tandag, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.
“At dusk, people begin coming out and gathering in public places to join spontaneous peace rallies,” Lumanao said.
In Cagayan de Oro City, Kagayanons joined the nationwide prayer and candlelight rally on Saturday afternoon, calling for Duterte’s return.
Cagayan de Oro Councilor Girlie Balaba, regional head of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and an ally of the Duterte family, addressed rallyists at the amphitheater in Divisoria. She called the national government “inutile” for allowing Duterte to be flown out of the country by foreigners.
Balaba contrasted this with Duterte’s efforts to send aircraft to bring overseas Filipinos in distress back to the Philippines during his presidency.
She lambasted the justice department, saying, “They did nothing to protect a Filipino from being kidnapped in his homeland by foreigners from the ICC, even when the country is no longer a member of it.”
Before the prayer rally, a motorcade was held from Barangay Bugo, while other participants arrived following a “walk-for-peace” from Rodelsa Circle.