DFA seeks clarification from PH envoy Locsin over Duterte kidnap remarks

Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she would seek clarification from Philippine Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr. on the remarks he posted on social media wherein he accused "Filipinos" of kidnapping and turning over to "foreigners" former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Lazaro said she would call up Locsin, Duterte's former foreign secretary, regarding his remarks on his Facebook account over the weekend.

"I cannot confirm if that is (true), Lazaro told reporters in a chance interview after the Senate's deliberations on the DFA's budget on Tuesday.

"There must be a reason for that. Let me give a phone call first to Ambassador Locsin," Lazaro said.

Locsin is currently the Philippines' top envoy to the United Kingdom.

The DFA has yet to issue a statement on the matter. GMA News Online has also reached out to Locsin for comment, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

In a social media post, Locsin said: "Rodrigo Duterte was not arrested by the ICC, he was abducted by Filipinos in the Philippines and handed over to foreigners."

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands had ordered Duterte's arrest through the Interpol on charges of crimes against humanity over his drug war during his tenure as Davao City mayor and president of the Philippines.

"If he is guilty of crimes we thereby confessed our country's and our state's inability to hold him to account. We thereby foreswore the first attribute of sovereign independence — an effective justice system."

He also said: "The idea that foreigners especially Westerners can judge us — is beyond disgusting; it is treason. The deepest imaginable. It is a confession begging for foreign domination in purely national affairs; and by willing and complicit admission."

The DFA has always reminded Filipino diplomats—both career and appointees—to maintain its political neutrality.

During election season, they are also asked to avoid campaigning for candidates, particularly on social media, warning that such action is an election offense punishable by law.

Locsin, a former journalist and lawmaker, was appointed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as Manila's ambassador to the UK in 2022. — VDV, GMA Integrated News