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MARCOS BET. Alyansa's Senate hopeful Imee Marcos speaks to the crowd during a proclamation rally in Pasay City, on February 18, 2025.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
The President's older sister earlier skipped his coalition's sortie in protest of Duterte's arrest
MANILA, Philippines – After snubbing the admininstration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ shortie in her mother’s hometown, Senator Imee Marcos now wants a probe into the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“It is imperative to establish whether due process was followed and to ensure that his legal rights were not upheld but protected, especially given the involvement of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the International Criminal Court (ICC),” said the senator, who is seeking reelection, in a Monday, March 17 statement.
Senator Marcos, the older sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., earlier skipped the administration coalition’s campaign sortie in Leyte province on March 14 in protest of Duterte’s arrest.
The former president, who waged a bloody drug war, is a suspect in a crimes against humanity complaint over killings made both during his presidency and his term as Davao City mayor.
On March 11, the Philippine government assisted and cooperated with Interpol, of which it is a member, to implement an arrest warrant from the ICC against Duterte. Before the day’s end on March 11, Duterte was flown to Dubai, and then The Netherlands aboard a chartered jet on lease by the administation.
Duterte is the first former Asian head of state brought before the ICC. His pre-trial is scheduled in September 2025.
In her statement, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chair Senator Marcos said she will be inviting a long list of government agencies — from the police, airport security, justice and foreign affairs departments, the National Security Council, and the civil aviation authoritiy — to “shed light on this matter.” Senator Marcos noted that Duterte’s arrest has “deeply divided the nation.”
“The Senate must address these critical concerns to uphold the country’s jurisdiction and to clarify policies governing our law enforcement agencies and their engagement with international tribunals. Our sovereignty and legal processes must remain paramount,” she added.
Duterte’s arrest is the result of years of hard work, particularly from the families of those killed in Duterte’s drug war, to painstakingly document and retell their stories. Victims and families had been trying to pursue justice domestically.
But in the Philipppines, that’s easier said that done, especially for victims of the drug war, because of harassment and the refusal of officials to follow domestic mechanisms. For many families, the ICC is their only real hope for accountability and justice.
Legal experts earlier argued for the legality of Duterte’s arrest — noting that it was “by the book.” Police general Nicolas Torre III, tasked with facilitating the arrest, said that they exercised “more than the maximum of the maximum tolerance.”
In a briefing with media on Monday, Malacañang said it would cooperate with the probe and not bar any official called upon to speak before the Senate. “If the inquiry is in aid of legislation, we will respect the request of Senator Imee,” said Presidential Communications Undersecretary Clarissa Castro.
Senator Marcos has — and apparently continues — to occupy an odd place in Philippine politics. While she is the sister of the President, she does not belong to his inner circle. She has been a vocal critic of the President and some of his policies.
The older Marcos initially withdrew from being part of the administration-backed slate, but joined their first few campaign rallies.
The senator’s survey ratings have been anything but reassuring — according to the latest Pulse Asia February senatorial preference survey, Senator Marcos exited the “winners’ circle” after she dropped 13 percentage points from the last January 2025 survey.
Senator Marcos has long been a close ally of the Dutertes, especially President Marcos’ former ally, Vice President Sara Duterte. It was former president Duterte who ordered the burial of the incumbent President’s father and namesake in the Libingan ng mga Bayani or Heroes’ Cemetery.
Vice President Sara Duterte claimed that she’d told Senator Marcos she’d have the late dictator’s remains exhumed, as tensions between the clans were still escalating. – Rappler.com
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