Palace: PH to honor Interpol commitments after Duterte's 'co-perpetrators' bared

Just like what happened when former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested, the Philippine government will have to comply with its commitments to the Interpol after the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court bared Duterte's alleged co-perpetrators over crimes against humanity.

At a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked if the government would cooperate with the Interpol, just like what it did last March 2025, when the former Philippine leader was arrested and surrendered to the international body.

'''Yun po ang nangyari before at 'yan din po ang mangyayari ngayon,'' Castro said.

(That's what happened before and it's also what will happen in this case.)

Still, Castro said the government would not intervene in the process of the ICC.

''Kung ito naman ay legal process na nanggagaling po sa ICC, hindi naman po natin ito pwedeng pakialaman dahil ang kasong 'yan ay naisampa noon pa, 2017, at hindi pa po Pangulo si Pangulong Marcos Jr. Kung dadaan sa proseso, 'yun naman po ang nais ng pamahalaang ito, ang ginagawa ng pamahalaang ito ay dumadaan lahat sa proseso,'' she said.

(If this is a legal process from the ICC, we cannot intervene since the case was filed in 2017, and President Marcos Jr. is not yet the president at that time. The government only wants due process to be followed at all times.)

According to the Document Containing the Charges (DCC) submitted by the Prosecution, Duterte's co-perpetrators in the "common plan" to "neutralize alleged criminals" through "violent crimes including murder" are as follows:

• Senator Ronald ''Bato'' dela Rosa;
• Vicente Danao;
• Camilo Cascolan (deceased);
• Oscar Albayalde;
• Senator Bong Go;
• Dante Gierran;
• Isidro Lapeña;
• Vitaliano Aguirre II; and
• other members of the Philippine National Police and high-ranking officials.

So far, no arrest warrants have been issued yet against these personalities.

READ: Who are Duterte's alleged co-perpetrators named by ICC?

Castro said this recent development should not result in chaos among supporters of the Duterte camp.

The ICC released on its website on February 13 a public lesser redacted version of the DCC. The DCC also listed the charges filed against Duterte, among which is being individually criminally responsible for crimes charged in Counts 1 to 3 as an indirect co-perpetrator.

Counts 1 to 3 are as follows, according to the DCC:

• "a. Count 1: Murders in or around Davao City during the Mayoral period by the DDS;
• b. Count 2: Murders of High-Value Targets during the Presidential period;
• c. Count 3: Murders and attempted murders in barangay clearance operations during the Presidential period.'' 

Last year, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Duterte's arrest was done "because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments."

Marcos also insisted that the arrest was proper and correct, wherein "every single necessary procedure" was followed.

Rejoining ICC

Meanwhile, when asked about rejoining the ICC, Castro said Marcos has not discussed anything about it.

''He has not discussed that matter with all of us as of the moment,'' Castro said. 

Duterte announced in 2018 that the Philippines was pulling out of the ICC after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into his administration's drug war.

Despite Duterte's pullout, with the withdrawal taking effect in 2019, a Supreme Court ruling in 2021 said the Philippines has the obligation to cooperate with the ICC despite its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, noting that the exit does not affect criminal proceedings pertaining to acts that occurred when a country was still a state party. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News