BUTUAN CITY –Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday that former President Rodrigo Duterte has been taken into custody by authorities following his arrest for crimes against humanity.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) stated that upon his arrival in Manila, a prosecutor general from the International Criminal Court (ICC) served an arrest warrant against Duterte.
The PCO confirmed that INTERPOL Manila had received an official copy of the ICC’s arrest warrant early in the morning, which led to the arrest of the former president.
Former presidential legal counsel, Atty. Salvador Panelo, condemned the arrest as unlawful. He argued that the Philippine National Police (PNP) did not allow one of Duterte’s lawyers to meet him at the airport or question the legal basis for the arrest.
Panelo further emphasized that the arrest lacked a hard copy of the arrest warrant, calling it an illegal act. He also claimed that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines, labeling the source of the arrest warrant as “spurious.”
Meanwhile, the PCO assured the public that Duterte is in good health and was thoroughly checked by government doctors. Police officers who executed the arrest were equipped with body cameras to ensure transparency in the operation.
Duterte’s arrest follows an ongoing investigation by the ICC into his administration’s war on drugs, which has been criticized for resulting in thousands of deaths, both from police operations and alleged vigilante killings.
