Palace dismisses Duterte's ‘kidnapping’ claim for ICC hearing absence

Malacañang on Thursday rejected former president Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that he was “kidnapped” by the Philippine government as he refused to attend the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) hearings next week.

“Alam naman natin kung anong ibig sabihin ng kidnapping (We know what kidnapping means),” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.

“Since nag-start na ang hearing doon, pinauubaya ng ating gobyerno through RA 9851 ang pagdinig nang tuluyan ng kaso doon,” she added.

(Since the hearing there has started, our government through RA 9851 has been allowing the case to continue to be heard there.)

Castro cited the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

She said under Section 17, Philippine authorities defer to an international tribunal if a case is already being heard or investigated there. 

She also pointed out that the complaints against Duterte were filed by Filipino citizens who felt they could not obtain justice locally at the time.

In a signed notification dated February 17, the 80-year-old Duterte said he will not attend the hearings from February 23 to 27 for several reasons – but mainly because he does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction over him.

“I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over my person. I am a Filipino citizen forcibly pushed into a jet and renditioned to The Hague in the Netherlands in flagrant contravention of my country’s Constitution and of national sovereignty. My kidnapping was facilitated by the office of the incumbent President of the Philippines with a plane specially chartered for this purpose,” he said.

Castro also dismissed suggestions that Vice President Sara Duterte’s declaration of a 2028 presidential bid could have implications on her father’s crime against humanity case over his drug war.

But Castro noted that Sara’s 2028 presidential run could be used to frame that their family was facing political persecution.

“Most probably, maaari niya lang itong ginagamit sa ngayon para magtuloy-tuloy ang kanilang naratibo na ang pag-uusig sa kanya ay dahil lang sa pamumulitika,” Castro said.

(Most probably, she could just be using this right now to continue their narrative that their persecution is just because of politics.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News