Imee Marcos calls for 'urgent' Senate investigation into Rodrigo Duterte's arrest
Presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos urged the Senate to conduct an "urgent" probe into the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Imee, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued a statement on the arrest that took place on March 11.
"It is imperative to establish whether due process was followed and to ensure that his legal rights were not upheld but protected, especially given the involvement of the International Criminal Police Organization and the International Criminal Court," she said.
The senator also invited officials from the Philippine National Police, Department of Transportation - Office for Transport Security, Department of Justice, Department of Foreign Afairs, National Security Council, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and other resource persons and witnesses to shed light on the issue, which has "deeply divided the nation."
"The Senate must address these critical concerns to uphold the country’s jurisdiction and to clarify policies governing our law enforcement agencies and their engagement with international tribunals," Imee added.
Imee skips Marcos Jr.-led campaign sortie
On March 14, Imee skipped her brother President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s campaign sortie in her family's bailiwick of Tacloban City. At the time, she said that she could not accept Duterte's arrest.
Imee, who's seeking reelection, is part of her brother's Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate.
In February, the senator denied being in a feud with the president, saying it was normal for families to fight.
Duterte's arrest
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on March 15 that "all courtesy" was given to the Duterte family when they arrived from Hong Kong on the day of the arrest.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Police Major Gen. Nicolas Torre III has also refuted claims that Duterte was deprived of his needs while under police custody at Villamor Air Base.
"At the end of the day, there’s no deprivation whatsoever of legal counsel, ‘yung mga medicine niya, food; Naibigay natin lahat nang iyon," he said in a Presidential Communications Office panel discussion on March 13.
Meanwhile, President Marcos said Duterte's arrest was part of the country's compliance with commitments to Interpol.
He also denied that this was a form of political persecution on his part as the ICC initiated its case against Duterte before he came into the picture. He also said that it has no connection with the 2028 presidential elections.
According to the arrest warrant from the ICC, Duterte's alleged crimes against humanity are within The Hague-based tribunal's jurisdiction as they occurred while the Philippines was still a member-state.
The Supreme Court also ruled that the government is still obligated to comply with the ICC probe as the possible crimes happened before Duterte withdrew from the tribunal.
Duterte could be the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC.
Judges would verify his identity and the language in which he would be able to follow the proceedings. He will be informed of the charges against him and of his rights under the ICC Rome Statute.
A confirmation of charges hearing will follow, during which the judges will decide whether the prosecution has presented enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
If the charges are confirmed, it could be months before the case eventually goes on trial, and years before a final judgment is rendered.
