President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, April 29, rejected claims that the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo Duterte is politically motivated — breaking ranks with his sister Senator Imee Marcos and sending a clear message that Malacañang is stepping away from the Duterte camp’s defense narrative.
“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I disagree,” Marcos said in a chance interview with Palace reporters when pressed for his comment on the Senate probe into the ICC investigation. He gave no further elaboration.
His remark directly undercuts Senator Imee Marcos, who earlier insisted the ICC’s case against Duterte was part of a political operation to “bring down the Dutertes” and obscure ulterior motives. Other Duterte allies have pushed the same line, framing the probe as foreign meddling aimed at destabilizing local politics.
Malacañang has defended the arrest as a matter of legal enforcement, with President Marcos saying it was simply the Philippines fulfilling its obligations to Interpol.
On the same day, Senator Imee Marcos urged the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate key officials involved in the operation — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, and CIDG director Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III.
Her call came as she unveiled new findings from the Senate foreign relations committee’s probe into Duterte’s arrest.
The former president was flown to The Hague following his arrest and has since been held at the Scheveningen Prison, officially known as the Hague Penitentiary Institution, as of March 13 (Philippine time). (TCSP)
