Marcos: Duterte en route to The Hague to face charges

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. late Tuesday night faced the media and announced that former President Rodrigo Duterte was being brought to The Hague in the Netherlands to face charges in connection with the killings in the past administration's war on drugs.

He faced the media after the plane carrying Duterte left the Villamor Airbase at 11:03 p.m.

''The plane carrying former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte took off at 11:03 p.m. this evening and exited Philippine air space," Marcos said in a news conference.

"The plane is en route to The Hague in the Netherlands allowing the former president to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs,'' he added.

Marcos said Interpol Manila received an official copy of the International Criminal Court warrant hours before Duterte's arrival from Hong Kong.

''This prompted the Prosecutor General of the Department of Justice to serve the warrant,'' Marcos said. 

Marcos said Duterte's arrest was proper and correct.

“We followed every single necessary procedure… We followed the legal procedure that is necessary,” Marcos said.

He said that the arrest was done “because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments.” 

Marcos said the government ''did not do this because it derived from or it came from ICC.''

''If we don’t do that, they will not – they will no longer help us with other cases involving Filipino fugitives abroad,'' Marcos said.

''This is what the international community expects of us as the leader of a democratic country that is part of the community of nations,'' he added. 

Marcos also denied that the arrest of Duterte was a violation of Philippine sovereignty. 

''No. Bakit naman? Dahil, consistent naman tayo, hindi tayo tumutulong sa imbestigasyon ng ICC... We did not help them in any way,'' Marcos said.

(We've been consistent. We didn't help in the investigation of the ICC... We didn't help them in any way.)

He said the ICC was asking for documents but his administration did not provide the information that it needed.

The Presidential Communications Office earlier confirmed that authorities served the warrant of arrest from the ICC when the former president arrived in Manila on Tuesday morning.

Duterte had said he was ready to face the warrant of arrest issued by the ICC for his controversial war against illegal drugs, stressing that he would face it directly as a lawyer and would not escape to another country.

One of his legal counsels, former Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, said the Duterte camp was studying the next legal steps following the arrest. 

Atty. Martin Delgra said Duterte boarded the plane around 9 p.m. on Tuesday. He was accompanied by former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, a nurse, and a personal assistant.

Supporters chanting "Duterte! Duterte!" and anti-riot policemen were in the vicinity of the Villamor Air Base before the airplane left.

Delgra, a lawyer for the former president, said they were not allowed to go near the plane.

The ICC chamber said that it had reasonable grounds to believe that murders were committed in the cases of killings of at least 19 alleged drug pushers or thieves by DDS members in or around Davao City and those of at least 24 alleged criminals by Philippine authorities.–NB, GMA Integrated News