MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that the Marcos administration is providing protection and support to the witnesses in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla confirmed on Thursday, June 26, that they were assisting the witnesses who asked for the DOJ’s assistance.
“We chanced upon this lang. No’ng nakiusap, sabi ko sige pagbigyan eh alangan namang tayo pa ang humarang? Eh andiyan na tayo at mahalaga ‘yong testigo makarating nang maayos ang kanyang testimonya para malaman natin kung ano talaga ang nangyari sa mga panahong iyon,” Remulla told reporters.
(We chanced upon this. When the witnesses requested for protection, I allowed it because we cannot block them. We’re already here and it’s important for the witnesses to provide their testimonies to determine what really happened then.)
The DOJ chief confirmed that ICC personnel’s call to the Philippine government’s Witness Protection Program prompted the cooperation.
“Hindi ako ang kausap nila. In fact, I don’t even know them. But I let their witness protection people handle it kasi nga confined ‘yang sa trabahong ‘yan,” Remulla explained.
(I am not the one in communication with them. In fact, I don’t even know them. But I let their witness protection people handle it because it’s confined within their job.)
“Well, they have, there’s an official word already that they have gone to our witness protection program to secure the people who may be needed to testify in The Hague. And so we have given our support and cooperation as this request is a well-founded request based on the safety, based on the necessity to bring the witnesses safely to The Hague to testify,” Remulla also told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday.
When asked to clarify if this means the Philippine government will be spending for the victims, Remulla responded in the affirmative.
“Oo, ‘yong mga testigo lang. Kasi ‘yong mga testigo na ‘yan, mga hindi naman, wala namang kaya sa buhay. Marami [riyan] wala rin eh, walang-wala rin. Kaya, ‘yon na talaga tutulungan,” he explained.
(Yes, just the witnesses. Because those witnesses are really poor. Most of them are really cash-strapped. So we will help them.)
Remulla’s latest pronouncement is among the Marcos government’s strongest statements as far as its cooperation with the ICC is concerned. In the past years, it had dilly-dallied in its cooperation with the international court.
When Duterte was arrested, the Marcos administration justified its cooperation by noting its relationship with the Interpol. Even if the Philippines was no longer an ICC member-state, the country took part in the arrest since the ICC coursed its warrant through the Interpol.
Duterte is currently detained in The Hague, the Netherlands, facing his crimes against humanity case. He recently asked for an interim or temporary release, which the prosecution had opposed.
Asked about Duterte’s interim release request, Remulla said: “Well, we don’t think that it is an appropriate request. I think that the case should be heard as soon as possible and that there may be more harm than good that will come out of it if that request is granted by the court. And the court itself knows that it took a lot to be able to bring him before the Hague, before the ICC.”
The DOJ secretary also reacted the humanitarian ground that Duterte had cited in requesting for his temporary release.
“Number one, is it practical or necessary to get him released to another country? The way I look at it, the best medical care is already available in the Netherlands. And moving him might even cause a few more adjustments that will not be good for him,” Remulla said.
Witnesses oppose Duterte’s release
Through the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV), the drug war victims also officially opposed Duterte’s bid for interim release. In their request dated June 25, the victims noted that their security will be in danger if the former president is released from detention.
The victims also said that Duterte now has access to evidence records and to the identities of the prosecution’s witnesses.
“The release of Mr. Duterte will not only be a great destabilizing factor to the volatile security situation in the country as a whole, but will pose a direct and significant danger to the victims who have demonstrated courage in applying to participate in the present proceedings in order to contribute to the search for the truth, despite risks of being threatened or otherwise stigmatized,” the victims said.
Aside from these reasons, they also cited Duterte’s continuous possession of “considerable power and support” which “are all important factors that make his continued detention necessary and justified to ensure his presence at trial — as required by the Statute — and to avoid the obstruction of the Court’s proceedings.”
The victims noted that Duterte was recently elected as Davao City mayor and that he has family members who are also elected officials, like Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, who was elected vice mayor in the 2025 May elections.
“The Duterte family has an undeniable continued influence in the Philippines, with strong supporters who are repeatedly calling for Mr. Duterte’s liberation, including in the numerous demonstrations in The Hague. These factors, in the Principal Counsel’s view, make it more likely that the Suspect might abscond if released, even with conditions,” the request read.
They also said that humanitarian reason — which Duterte invoked in his request — is not part of the factors listed by the ICC that could justify interim release.
The victims also noted that Duterte had made public statements in the past attacking the ICC and its legitimacy, like when the former president said, “The ICC should come for me, if they arrest me here, there will be a shootout, I will finish all those sons of bitches.”
These statements and behavior should be taken into consideration as a risk that Duterte might obstruct or endanger the ICC proceedings.
“Considering that Mr. Duterte has been recently arrested, his interim release would be hard to fathom for the victims who have clearly expressed the view that he should remain in detention at the Court pending the pre-trial proceedings,” the victims said.
“For the victims, this is the only way of ensuring that he will face trial. Indeed, victims are extremely concerned with the prospect that Mr Duterte could be released, particularly because there is a real risk that they face threats from the Suspect and his supporters,” they added. – Rappler.com
