Manila: The House of Representatives on Monday firmly maintained that former president Rodrigo Duterte's case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is based on solid evidence and sworn testimonies of witnesses, not on mere gossip.
According to Philippines News Agency, House spokesperson, lawyer Princess Abante, issued the statement in response to Vice President Sara Duterte's comment that her father's detention by the ICC was 'dahil sa Marites (because of Marites)'-a colloquial term referring to rumors or baseless talk. Abante emphasized that the ICC case is rooted in an international legal process supported by documentary evidence and victim testimonies, not hearsay or political noise.
She made it clear that the House is not involved in the ICC proceedings and has consistently maintained its independence from the international court. Abante highlighted that House members have always stated they did not and will not meddle in the ICC case, responding to the younger Duterte's call for the ICC to drop the case and let Filipinos decide the fate of the former president.
Abante also pointed out that as a lawyer, Duterte should understand how international judicial bodies operate, and that legal remedies, including motions to dismiss, must be raised in the appropriate forum. Former president Duterte is currently detained and awaiting trial before the ICC for charges of crimes against humanity over his administration's bloody war on drugs. Despite the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019, the ICC retains jurisdiction over offenses committed while the country was still a state party.
Meanwhile, Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun criticized the Vice President over her claims that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. faked kindness and colluded with the ICC to arrest her father, calling it 'baseless, dishonest and deeply irresponsible.' Khonghun stated that President Marcos has consistently kept a firm distance from the ICC regarding the case against the former president, and labeled the Vice President's 'conspiracy theory' as absurd and a dangerous attempt to mislead the public and stir unrest.
Khonghun argued that the Vice President's remarks reveal either a fundamental misunderstanding or a willful distortion of how a constitutional democracy operates. He emphasized that not all actions of the government are controlled by the President, and noted that President Marcos governs with restraint and humility, not with vendetta.
During a rally for her father's release, Duterte accused President Marcos of political theater to remove a strong critic by allegedly facilitating her father's arrest. Khonghun rebuked this claim, questioning whether the thousands of killings, the tears of bereaved mothers, and reports from human rights groups were just gossip, asserting that these are matters of justice.
