PBBM admin won’t meddle in FPRRD camp plea for interim release

FILE: Facade of the Malacañang Palace as seen from Pasig River. (Photo by Architect Jorge Ramos (d. 2015) for the underlying copyrighted work (Malacañang Palace). Image is by Official Gazette of the Philippines, originally uploaded on Commons by User:P-JR – Commons:File:Malacañang Palace (Cropped).jpg, Public Domain)

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Marcos administration will not intervene in the strategy of the camp of former president Rodrigo R. Duterte to have his interim release approved by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“Kung anuman ang magiging istratehiya nila Atty. (Nicholas) Kaufman, gawin po nila iyan at wala pong magiging pakialam ang Pangulo, ang Palasyo, ang gobyerno patungkol po diyan (Whatever strategy Atty. Kaufman will have, they can do it and the President, the Palace, the government has nothing to do with that),” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told reporters.

Castro issued the reaction when asked about the Palace’s take on the statement of international law expert Arnedo Valera that Duterte’s request to be transferred to a third country while facing trial at the ICC is supported by legal precedent and established international rules.

Castro reiterated that the Philippine government will let the Duterte camp do what they want.

However, she cautioned them not to drag the name of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in their pleadings.

“Ang abiso lamang po natin, sana huwag magsinungaling sa kanilang pleadings, huwag gamitin ang Pangulo sa propaganda nila at huwag mamulitika (Our only warning is, please don’t lie in your pleadings, don’t use the President in your propaganda and don’t politicize) using the President’s name. Iyon lang po (That’s all),” Castro said.

Duterte is seeking interim release from the ICC, assuring the chamber that he is not a flight risk and a threat to witnesses, based on the request made by Kaufman dated June 12.

According to the redacted version of the request for his temporary release, Duterte’s arrest is not necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigations or to preclude the continued commission of crimes.

Duterte’s camp also assured the ICC of his “principled willingness to cooperate.”