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“Karapatan po nila kung nais po nilang magsampa. Pero inuulit po natin, ang complaint na ‘to, ay sa ating pagtingin ay walang pinaghuhugutan,” Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
Duterte Youth party-list chairperson Ronald Cardema cited in his impeachment complaint that Marcos surrendered the country’s sovereignty when he allowed the capture of Former President Rodrigo Duterte and surrendered him to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity contradicts to Cardema’s claim, stating that authorities “may surrender” the person to another court or international tribunal is already conducting the investigation or undertaking the prosecution” of the crime one is being charged with.
It also does not require the person to be brought to a local court before being surrendered to the ICC.
He and his wife Duceille Marie failed to pass the impeachment complaint because House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco was not at his office.
“The Office of the SecGen is not accepting it, because wala raw ngayong araw na ito ang SecGen… Ang nakalagay naman sa procedures, it is the office, not the person himself,” Mr. Cardema told the media.
He added that Marcos betrayed public trust by not allowing Duterte to due process in the country and turned him over to the ICC.
“Kaya dito po sa impeachment complaint na 'to... makita nyo yung merits ng sinasabi natin. At kung ito magtuloy, sagutin man lang ng Presidente ng Pilipinas. Why did he allow a Filipino citizen to be transported to the hands of the foreigners?” Mr. Cardema told the media.
Castro stated that the Marcos administration did their job to arrest Former President Rodrigo Duterte in accordance with law and commitment to the red notice by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“Kung mayroon mang sariling interes patungkol dito, nanaisin pa ba nila na hindi sundin ang batas, hindi ipagpatuloy ang commitment or talikuran ang commitment sa Interpol para sa mga taong inaakusahan ng crimes against humanity?” she argued.
The palace press officer noted that the president is yet to see the full contents of the impeachment complaint.
The former president was arrested on March 11 for human rights violations following his ‘war on drugs’ that reportedly killed 6,000 while human rights groups recorded 30,000.
His next hearing is scheduled on September 23, where the charges against him will be confirmed.
Rodrigo’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, was impeached by the House on February 5 after 240 members of the lower chamber signed her 4th impeachment complaint.
