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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
March 18, 2025 | 4:17pm
Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla speaks in front of of DOJ employees during his first flag ceremony as justice secretary on July 4, 2022. In his speech Remulla has identified three attached agencies of the department that need their help.
Philstar.com / EC Toledo
MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla responded to calls to bring former President Rodrigo Duterte back to the Philippines by reminding the public that his arrest and transfer to The Hague was already a "done deal."
With the former president already in the custody of the International Criminal Court and awaiting trial, Remulla also noted that Duterte himself had previously said he was willing to face the charges against him.
"Wala na yun, tapos na yun (That's already done) ... It's a done deal. Nandoon na sya eh (He's already there)," Remulla told reporters on Tuesday, March 18.
Remulla recalled hearing from Duterte himself that "he would face whatever charges against him."
"At sabi naman niya haharapin naman niya ang charges. I think he has repeated that to all of us. Lahat tayong Pilipino narinig kay Pangulong Duterte na haharapin nya ang kahit na anong paratang sakanya, kahit sa ICC. Kaya 'yun na 'yun. Nandoon na sya," the DOJ chief added.
(And he said that he will face the charges. I think he has repeated that to all of us. All of us Filipinos have heard from President Duterte that he will face any accusation against him, even at the ICC. So that’s that. He’s already there.)
Just before disembarking the plane that brought him to The Hague in the Netherlands last week, Duterte said, through a Facebook live video, that he would "take responsibility for everything."
The DOJ chief also said that there would be no potential conflict between ICC proceedings and local cases as these two would have different jurisdictions.
"You cannot try a person twice for the same... The ICC case is different from cases here. We will avoid that. We don't want them to coincide because if only one jurisdiction yields on a matter, that's double jeopardy. That's not just. We just want justice," Remulla said.
With the public still divided over Duterte's arrest, Remulla called for unity instead and respect for the judicial process.
"As a country we should remain united in the spirit of justice. We just want justice to be done to all concerned, whether you are victims or perpetrators of injustice," he said. "Gusto natin lahat ng hustisya (We all want justice)."
Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police on March 11 and transferred to the ICC the next day. He is accused by the ICC chief prosecutor of committing crimes against humanity over his anti-illegal drugs campaign as Davao City mayor, and later, as president.
The former president appeared before the court for the first time on Friday, March 14, where he was read his rights under the Rome Statute. His next hearing — the confirmation of charges — has been tentatively set for September 23.
If requested, the ICC has the option of granting Duterte an interim (temporary) release during his trial. But human rights group Rise Up for Life and Rights has called on the tribunal to reject such a request given the spike in hate speech and harassment that have been directed at victims' families after Duterte's arrest.
