Vic Rodriguez: Marcos immune from suit only until 2028

Senatorial candidate Vic Rodriguez on Wednesday said that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. could be held accountable after his term for the arrest of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

WATCH: Former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez on the call that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should also be held accountable following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. #Eleksyon2025@gmanewspic.twitter.com/xIio2nFpWu

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) May 7, 2025

Rodriguez, who previously served as Marcos’ executive secretary and chief of staff during the 2022 elections, said that this will be based on the results of the investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the high-ranking government officials who helped facilitate Duterte’s arrest. 

“We have to wait for the findings, ‘yung outcome ng findings ng [the outcome of the findings of the] Ombudsman. If the Ombudsman will hold these incumbent officials accountable, then this will go all the way up to the Office of the President, to the President,” Rodriguez said in an interview with GMA News Online on the sidelines of PDP Laban’s campaign rally in Muntinlupa City. 

However, Rodriguez explained that under the law, the President is only immune from suit during his tenure.

“Merong immunity ang kung sinumang nakaupong Pangulo eh [anyone who sits as President has immunity]. But it doesn’t make him immune after he finishes his term of office na anim na taon lang [that’s only six years],” he added. 

Rodriguez said this in reaction to Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement that Marcos should be held accountable for supposedly allowing the arrest of her father Rodrigo and his eventual transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

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 has asked the Ombudsman to investigate 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, for alleged violations of the law during the elder Duterte's arrest.

Rodriguez welcomed Imee Marcos’ move, but said that this will no longer bring Rodrigo Duterte back to the Philippines. 

“Ang kasong ‘yun, para lang panagutin ‘yung mga naging bahagi sa serious illegal detention, kidnapping, or arbitrary detention laban kay Pangulong Duterte. But that action will not bring him back home,” the senate bet said. 

(That case was only to make accountable those who participated in the serious illegal detention, kidnapping, or arbitrary detention against President Duterte. But that action will not bring him back home.) 

“Kaya tinatrabaho nung mga abogado diyan sa The Hague ‘yung proseso na maipabalik at mauwi agad-agad si Tatay Digong sa lalong madaling panahon sapagkat wala naman siyang kaso dito sa Pilipinas kung saan siya ay inaakusahan. Kung wala siyang kaso dito sa Pilipinas, higit na wala siyang kaso sa The Hague, lalong walang jurisdiction ang ICC,” he added. 

(That’s why the lawyers in The Hague are working on the process to bring Duterte home as soon as possible because he has no case here in the Philippines where he is being accused. If he doesn't have a case here in the Philippines, he doesn't have a case in The Hague more so, because the ICC has no jurisdiction over us.) 

GMA Integrated News has reached out to Malacanang for its side on the issue and will update this story as soon as it is available.

Malacañang has called as "baseless" Vice President Sara Duterte’s call for the President to be held accountable for the arrest of her father.

“Ang opinyon na nanggagaling sa ating bise presidente ay walang pinanggagalingan, walang basehan,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said at a media briefing.

(The opinion of our vice president has no basis.)

Castro reiterated that the government followed the law and acted in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

Rodruguez also criticized Marcos for the timing of the announcement of the implementation of the sale of P20 per kilo of rice, which will be piloted in Visayas. 

The former executive secretary disclosed that in 2022, he believed Marcos would fix the problem in the agriculture sector considering his P20/kg rice campaign promise, “but nothing changed” when he became President. 

“Alam mo, pagka-sinsero ang tao sa kanyang layunin, naniniwala ako na kaya eh. Subalit it's too late in the day. Kalahati na ng kanyang termino, wala na silang magagawa at hindi na nila mapapababa ‘yang presyo ng bigas na ‘yan na kanyang ipinangako,” Rodriguez told GMA News Online. 

(You know, if a person is really sincere in his promise, I believe that that promise could be made possible. But it's too late in the day already. We’re already halfway through his term, and they can't do anything anymore about that. They won't be able to lower the price of rice, as he promised.)

To recall, the Department of Agriculture in April announced the sale of rice at P20 per kilo in Visayas. But this was temporarily halted in deference to the ayuda ban amid the election season.

Marcos had explained why it took time for him to fulfill his campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice, saying that the government needs to provide assistance first to local farmers, including the provision of machinery.

''Iyan po ay nakamit na natin. Hindi po naabot kaagad dahil ito po ay kailangan ayusin po natin ang ating pagtulong sa ating mga magsasaka. Kailangan bigyan natin sila ng mga makinarya,'' the President said. 

(We achieved this. We didn't reach it immediately because we needed to fix our assistance to farmers. We need to give them the necessary machinery.) 

''Kailangan magtayo tayo ng mga processing center. Iyan kaya’t sinimulan po namin ito pag-upo. Dahan-dahan, dumadami na. Kaya’t kaya na naming gawin ito. Pinalitan pa natin ang batas ng NFA, halimbawa, at marami pa po tayong gagawin,'' he added.

(We need to establish processing centers. That's what we started when we assumed office. It started to grow. We can do this now. We will do more.)

But for Rodriguez, the initiative was only done as a campaign gimmick this midterm elections. 

“Political. Namumulitika. Pambubudol. Sapagkat nanliligaw ng boto ng mga Cebuano at ng mga taga-Visayas,” he said. 

(This is political. They want to fool us because they want to get votes from the Cebuanos and from the Visayas region.) —RF, GMA Integrated News

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