Senator Imee: Duterte arrest is politically motivated

CEBU, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos said in a press conference the other day in Cebu that efforts to bring former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) are politically motivated.

According to Marcos, major political events were often followed by statements and actions from the administration related to the ICC.

She said that after Duterte became a vocal critic the government, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) responded by saying the Philippines is “an open country” and would only intervene if the ICC committed any illegal act.

After Duterte attended the Quadcom hearing on November 11, 2024, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin later said that local authorities would consider cooperating with Interpol if requested by the ICC.

Following the massive INC-led Peace Rally on January 13, 2025, which forced pro-administration lawmakers to tone down impeachment talks against Vice President Sara Duterte, the administration allegedly launched the “Oplan Tugis” or “Operation Pursuit,” according to the senator.

This was soon followed by the Justice secretary’s statement that the government was open to discussions with the ICC.

Senator Marcos said that the arrest of FPRRD was part of a whole-of-government effort to bring down the Dutertes.

She said the first clear move was the People’s Initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution’s political provisions, an attempt to prevent the Dutertes from regaining the presidency in 2028.

When the PI failed, she said, the administration scrambled to destroy the Duterte name and remove the family’s patriarch from the country.

“Any doubt that the arrest and turnover of FPRRD to the ICC was politically-motivated was put to rest by the document entitled “Mid-Election Final Campaign Sprint Action Plan” (“Action Plan”) by the administration-aligned Lakas-CMD,” she said.

She said on 22 April 2025, the Action Plan described in detail the accomplishments of “Oplan Horus,” an operation launched sometime in April 2024, and was designed to bring down the Dutertes.

Senator Marcos said that in the portion of the Action Plan entitled “How to Attack,” various government agencies, including the Philippine National Police, and the House of Representatives worked with former Senator Antonio Trillanes in helping the ICC Prosecutor obtain an ICC warrant for the arrest of FPRRD.

The Action Plan also provides that the necessary votes to impeach of VP Sara in the House of Representatives were obtained through the use of “soft” projects such as AICS, AKAP, and TUPAD.

Part of the Action Plan entitled “Following Strategies and Moves” indicated that the impeachment of VP Sara should be speed up and that the necessary votes in the Senate would be obtained using “For Later Release” projects as rewards.

Another clear indication of the cover-up being perpetrated by the Administration was the blanket use by ES Bersamin of the executive privilege doctrine to prohibit all executive officials from attending the second hearing which was set for 03 April 2025.

This conscious effort, Senator Marcos on the part of the administration to bury the truth became all the more clear when, in an unprecedented move, the Senate President refused to release the subpoenas he had already signed.

Senator Marcos recommended that the Office of the Ombudsman investigates DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, and others involved in the arrest of Duterte. — (FREEMAN)