VP Sara urges claims by ex-Marines vs. ICC be addressed

Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday backed the claims of the supposed former Marines about the alleged anomalies in the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the crimes against humanity case of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement, Sara Duterte said that for some time, she has heard information about the alleged coordination of certain Philippine officials with the ICC investigators. 

“Bunga nito, pormal akong sumulat sa Pangulo upang makuha on record ang posisyon ng Administrasyon. Ang naging tugon niya ay, ‘We will not cooperate in any way, shape, or form’—isang tahasang pagkilala na ang mga hakbang ng ICC ay itinuturing na paglapastangan sa soberanya ng Pilipinas,” the Vice President said.

(As a result, I formally wrote to the President to get the Administration's position on record. His response was, 'We will not cooperate in any way, shape, or form'—a clear acknowledgment that the ICC's actions were considered a violation of Philippine sovereignty.) 

GMA News Online reached out to Malacañang for a comment and will update this story once it responds. 

Sara Duterte also expressed admiration for the courage of the supposed former members of the Philippine Marine Corps who claimed to be employed by former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co as personal assistants and security consultants, alleging that they delivered suitcases "filled with cash" to various individuals.

They also alleged that Co and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV "funded" the hotel accommodations of investigators from the ICC, and that they delivered cash to the house of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Ilocos Norte.

“Hanga ako sa tapang ng mga dating security personnel ni Zaldy Co na naglakas-loob magsalita batay sa kanilang personal na kaalaman tungkol sa mga usaping matagal ko nang nalalaman. Hindi pangkaraniwan ang kanilang ginawa dahil posibleng buhay nila ang kapalit sa paglabas ng katotohanan,” the Vice President said. 

(I admire the courage of Zaldy Co's former security personnel who dared to speak about their personal knowledge about matters I have known for a long time. What they did was unusual because it could put their lives at risk for the sake of revealing the truth.) 

“Ngayon, ang mga testimonya ng mga dating security personnel ni Zaldy Co ay lalo pang nagpapatibay sa mga nauna ko nang babala kay dating Pangulong Duterte at Senador Bato dela Rosa tungkol sa presensya ng ICC sa loob ng Pilipinas, hanggang sa mga pangyayaring may kaugnayan sa pag-kidnap sa aking ama. Ang mga impormasyong ito ay hindi maaaring isantabi o ipagwalang-bahala,” she added. 

(Now, the testimonies of the former security personnel of Zaldy Co further strengthens my earlier warnings to former President Duterte and Senator Bato dela Rosa about the presence of the ICC inside the Philippines, up to the events related to the kidnapping of my father. This information cannot be set aside or ignored.) 

VP Sara also stressed that the matter is not political, but an issue of national sovereignty and supposed interference of foreign institutions in the domestic affairs of the country. 

“Sovereignty is not a principle to be invoked when convenient and abandoned when expedient. Sovereignty should not depend on who benefits and should not shift with political winds,” she said. 

“When we weaken the principle of sovereignty, we do not only affect one leader or one family. We affect the dignity of our country and the trust of our people in the institutions meant to protect them,” she added. 

Malacañang earlier said that the claims of the supposed ex-Marines and lawyer Levito "Levi" Baligod about the alleged corruption in the investigation of the ICC are meant to discredit the tribunal as it conducts legal proceedings on the crimes against humanity case of Rodrigo Duterte. Trillanes also denied the accusations.

Trillanes also denied the allegations against him, saying that he will file a cyber libel case against Baligod and the supposed ex-Marines. 

The ICC also denied the allegations, saying that its activities are funded through the court's budget while expenses are strictly managed through an independent and transparent manner.

The ICC on Monday began the confirmation of charges hearing for Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case over the alleged extrajudicial killings during his drug war campaign.—LDF, GMA Integrated News