Senator Imee Marcos will head a Senate inquiry into the arrest of the former President Rodrigo Duterte as per the warrant alluded to crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau said the hearing would be on March 20.
“As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I am calling for an urgent investigation into the arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, an issue that has deeply divided the nation,” Marcos said.
“It is imperative to establish whether due process was followed and to ensure that his legal rights were not only upheld but protected, especially given the involvement of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the International Criminal Court,” she continued.
Marcos has invited various government agencies to the investigation, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Security Council (NSC), as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and so many more.
Meanwhile, the Palace Press Officer, Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said, “’She’s free to do that.”
Duterte was arrested by the PNP and is currently being held in The Hague, Netherlands. This incident stirred debates and conversations considering the previous statements made by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who imparted that this administration would not recognize the ICC’s authority.
But later that night, on March 11, President Marcos Jr. defended the arrest, saying “because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments.”
