In a complete turnaround from its former policy, the Marcos administration has now opened the door for the International Criminal Court (ICC) – through Interpol – to arrest the likes of former president Rodrigo Duterte and former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa.
Previously, the Marcos administration said it would not cooperate in any way with the ICC, as its investigation of Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in the killing of thousands — some say tens of thousands – of mostly poor, young Filipino men suspected of being drug users or pushers. And that the ICC investigation was tantamount to interference in the country’s internal affairs.
The Duterte and Marcos regimes both claimed that the Philippines had a fully functioning justice system that the families of the victims could turn to.
Last week, however, the Marcos government through Justice Sec. Jesus Remulla said it would not block Interpol in case it serves an arrest warrant against Duterte and others named in the ICC’s investigation into the drug war deaths of the previous administration.
Interpol, or the International Police Organization, is a global organization of 196 member-countries that facilitates worldwide police operations and crime control. It was founded a hundred years ago and is currently based in France.
Remulla told local media that the Philippines respects Interpol’s actions “99.9 percent of the time.”
The Justice secretary said, “If a problem arises, (the ICC) will bring it to Interpol. We are members of Interpol, and we do not block any movement of Interpol unless a policy contradicts our international commitments.”
If and when a warrant of arrest is issued, “it’s Interpol’s job to serve it. And we have a duty to Interpol,” he said.
Remulla explained that under the principle of comity, the Philippine government will not obstruct anything as long as it does not violate the country’s laws.
“The principle of comity dictates that we remain friendly and do not block any legal actions that they undertake,” added Remulla, “If they engage in illegal activities, then we will not tolerate that if they violate our laws.”
“We are not in the business of blocking Interpol’s job, which is to fight international crime,” said Remulla.
Earlier this year, former senator Antonio Trillanes said that the ICC was coming for Duterte and Dela Rosa, around June or July.
Remulla’s statements indicate that Trillanes was probably right and was only off by a matter of weeks or a few months.
Trillanes said that last week, the ICC has already asked Interpol to issue a “blue notice” against five former and current officials of the PNP. These are Sen. Dela Rosa, former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, former PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group head Romeo Caramat, PNP Drug Enforcement Group head Eleazar Mata, and National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.
With the blue notice, the five former and current PNP officers can be held at various immigration counters when they travel abroad.
The document is tantamount to a summons.
Dela Rosa said, following Remulla’s statements, he felt “betrayed” by the Marcos administration, as it was President Marcos Jr. himself who had guaranteed that the Senator would not be arrested by the ICC while he was chief executive.
The former PNP chief earlier dared Trillanes to join the ICC when they come to arrest him and former president Duterte.
The ICC has always maintained that the investigation of Duterte and company remained valid as it covered crimes committed when the Philippines was still a member of the court.
Resigning from the ICC, which the Philippines did during the Duterte administration, does not affect the probe.
The Marcos government, meanwhile, is said to be mulling a return to the ICC, reportedly as a condition set by various global lenders that the country has been pitching to investors in local big ticket projects.
