VP Sara: Marcos should be held accountable for Rodrigo Duterte arrest

Vice President Sara Duterte said that cases President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should be held accountable for supposedly allowing the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and his eventual transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

In an exclusive interview with Marisol Abdurahman of GMA Integrated News, the Vice President said she believes that a higher official than Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Philippine National Police chief Police General Rommel Marbil, and CIDG chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III should be held accountable for what happened to her father. 

“Dapat talaga managot ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas [the President of the Philippines should really be held accountable] because he allowed foreign entity, foreign organization to interfere with our national sovereignty,” the Vice President said. 

“Hindi naman mangyayari lahat ‘yun kung walang approval ng Pangulo. ‘Yung tinatawag natin na rendition o ‘yung pag-kidnap o pagkuha ng isang citizen sa loob ng bayan niya at dalhin siya sa isang foreign jurisdiction para ipakulong doon, hindi mangyayari ‘yan kung walang approval ng President,” she added. 

(All of what transpired wouldn't have happened without the approval of the President. The rendition, kidnapping, or taking of a citizen from his own country to be brought to a foreign jurisdiction to get imprisoned there, wouldn't happen without the approval of the President.)

Under Philippine law, the President is immune from suit during his tenure.

Presidential sister and senator Imee Marcos last Friday submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman a chairman's report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the arrest of the former president.

The lawmaker also asked the Ombudsman to investigate the Remulla brothers, Marbil, Torre, as well as Special Envoy for Transnational Crimes Markus Lacanilao, for alleged violations of the law during the elder Duterte's arrest.

For the Vice President, these government officials would not act on the arrest without being instructed by Marcos. 

“Malabo na gumalaw ang mga departments ng kanya kanya lang unless incapacitated na talaga ‘yung President natin na hindi na talaga din niya alam kung anong nangyayari sa bayan,” the younger Duterte said. 

(These departments will not act on their own unless our President is so incapacitated that he really doesn't know what's going on in the country anymore.)

Aside from the arrest of her father, her impending impeachment trial, topped with a recent complaint filed against her brother, Davao City Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte, for alleged physical injuries and grave threats, Sara Duterte admitted that she is expecting more “political attacks”.

“Kasi desperate people, they can think of the worst things to do. So, oo, naisip ko ‘yan na hindi talaga titigil hanggang hindi ako makulong or mamatay. ‘Yun na lang naman talaga ang dalawang hindi pa nila nagagawa sa ngayon,” she said.

(Desperate people can think of the worst things to do. So, yes, I’ve been thinking that these wouldn’t stop until I get arrested or die. Those are the only two things that they haven’t done so far.)

GMA News Online sought comment from Malacañang and will update this story once it responds.  

Previously, President Marcos said that he “disagrees” with the claim of his sister Imee that there was supposedly a ''group effort'' from the administration to arrest Rodrigo Duterte and bring down the Duterte family.

The Palace had defended the arrest as an enforcement of the law, with the President saying that the Philippines only honored its commitment with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

The government also cited Section 17 of Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law states that: 

''In the interest of justice, the relevant Philippine authorities may dispense with the investigation or prosecution of a crime punishable under this Act if another court or international tribunal is already conducting the investigation or undertaking the prosecution of such crime. Instead, the authorities may surrender or extradite suspected or accused persons in the Philippines to the appropriate international court, if any, or to another State pursuant to the applicable extradition laws and treaties.” 

The 80-year old Duterte is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s deadly war on drugs. —RF, GMA Integrated News