MANILA — The Senate panel on foreign relations has found significant lapses in the Philippine government’s handling of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest, Sen. Imee Marcos said Thursday.

In a press conference, Marcos, who chairs the committee, insisted that the government was not obligated to arrest Duterte or surrender him to the International Criminal Court (ICC). She also claimed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration had actively assisted the ICC in the arrest and had begun preparations before March 11.

Marcos outlined three key preliminary findings of the Senate panel:

  1. The Philippines had no legal obligation to arrest Duterte and turn him over to the ICC.
  2. The government decided to assist the ICC and had started preparations before March 11.
  3. There were clear violations of Duterte’s rights, including constitutional safeguards on liberty and due process.

She stressed that no Philippine court had issued a warrant for Duterte’s arrest and that the circumstances did not meet the legal criteria for a warrantless arrest.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR