Cabinet members of the Marcos administration and other government officials were absent during the second Senate hearing regarding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte over his case with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The hearing was led by presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Despite the absence of the officials, the inquiry proceeded with only Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in attendance.
Dela Rosa had previously stated that he lacked sufficient information gathered from the first hearing on March 20, prompting him to call for another inquiry.
Before the hearing, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin sent a letter stating that the Cabinet officials would not be attending. However, Imee responded in writing to the Palace on April 1, requesting consideration to allow agency heads to attend the scheduled hearing.
Imee emphasized that there was no sufficient reason for the executive officials to refuse attendance, even though Bersamin had mentioned that the Cabinet and other relevant officials had already provided the necessary information during the March 20 inquiry.
