Trillanes expects ICC arrest warrant vs. Duterte, others by June

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV expects a warrant of arrest to be issued against former President Rodrigo Duterte and others in connection to the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by June. 

Trillanes said the information came from individuals who are “privy to the investigations being done by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC.”

“Itong nasa stage na ‘yung ICC investigation na patapos na at baka magre-request na sila ng warrant… kaya ine-expect natin ito mga June at kung mag spillover man to July ‘yung warrant,” Trillanes said in a media briefing.

(The ICC is at the stage where they are wrapping up the investigation and they may request a warrant… so we are expecting this by June and it may spill over to July.)

“This will come in batches. The first batch si Duterte, the father. The second batch, baka sila (Senator) Bong Go, Bato (Senator Ronald dela Rosa), at si Vice President Sara Duterte. Tapos ang third batch would be some PNP officials and some other senior officials of the Duterte administration,” he added.

(This will come in batches. The first batch is for Duterte, the father. The second batch may be against Bong Go, Bato, and Vice President Sara Duterte. The third batch would be some PNP officials and some other senior officials of the Duterte administration.)

'Make my day'

Atty. Harry Roque, the presidential spokesperson under the Duterte administration, dismissed Trillanes' claims as he described the former senator as “full of hot air.”

“He is in no position to know anything about confidential proceedings. In any case, ICC lost its jurisdiction a year after we deposited our instrument of ratification,” Roque said in a message to GMA News Online (GNO).

”Any warrant issued after we had already withdrawn our membership from the ICC is issued bereft of jurisdiction,” he added.

Meanwhile, Senator Dela Rosa dared Trillanes to accompany authorities in serving the arrest warrant against him.

“Go ahead!! Make my day!! Mr. Trillanes… Kahit sumama ka pa mag serve ng warrant. Sumama ka, ikaw mismo mag posas sa akin,” he said in a Senate interview.

(Go ahead! Make my day! Mr. Trillanes… Go with those who will serve the warrant and you can cuff me yourself.)

Dela Rosa also said he is leaving his fate to God.  

Trillanes, meanwhile, said that it seemed as if Dela Rosa was the one being oppressed. 

“Kung makareact si Bato parang sya pa yung inapi. Tingnan natin ang tapang nya pagdating ng warrant,” he said.

(With the way he reacts, it’s like he’s being oppressed. Let’s just see how brave he really is once the warrant is here.)

GNO also sought comment from Vice President Sara Duterte and the camp of Senator Bong Go but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. 

Marcos and ICC

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said his government will not serve any arrest warrant from the ICC against former President Duterte.

He also said does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines, adding that he considers it a threat to Philippine sovereignty

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra previously said the court may issue a warrant against officials of the Philippine government, but its enforcement is another matter.

The Department of Justice, meanwhile, previously stressed that the foreign entities must first obtain the approval of several government agencies before conducting official activities within the Philippines.

According to Trillanes, the ICC may push for the arrest warrant through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

“Kung idadaan sa INTERPOL 'yung warrant of arrest, kahit na hindi tayo miyembro ng ICC pero miyembro tayo ng INTERPOL. May international agreement tayo. Ang ICC naman may cooperation agreement kay INTERPOL kaya pwede silang magpasa ng red notice diyan,” he said.

(If the warrant of arrest goes through INTERPOL, even if we are no longer a member of the ICC, we are still a member of INTERPOL. We have an international agreement. And ICC has a cooperation agreement with INTERPOL so they can pass the red notice to them.)

According to INTERPOL, a red notice is “to seek the location and arrest of persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.”

Blue notice

Meanwhile, Trillanes said that INTERPOL may also issue a blue notice against former and active officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who are persons of interest in the ICC investigation.

He said the ICC wrote to around 50 former and active officials.

“Ang ilan sa mga ito ay nagcooperate in their individual capacity. Doon sa mga hindi nagcooperate ay malamang sa malamang ma-issuehan sila ng tinatawag na blue notice from the INTERPOL or blue diffusion,” he said.

A blue notice is "to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation."

The Philippines, under Duterte, withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019 after the tribunal began a probe into his administration's drug war.

The scope of the ICC probe were killings that transpired from November 2011 until March 2019, including those killings made by Davao Death Squad when the elder Duterte was still the mayor of Davao City before assuming presidency in June 2016.—AOL/ VAL, GMA Integrated News