Manila: Malaca±ang on Thursday dismissed Vice President Sara Duterte's latest accusations linking President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling them 'nonsense' fueled by frustration over the detention and trial of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, in The Hague.
According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that Duterte's claims that Marcos is supporting the ICC, and that the tribunal is reciprocating that support, are baseless. "Ang lahat po halos ng sinasabi ng Bise Presidente sa ngayon ay walang basehan, walang saysay, useless at nonsense. Maaaring ito ay kaniyang nasasabi out of frustration dahil ang kaniyang ama ngayon ay nililitis sa ICC (Almost everything the Vice President is saying now has no basis and value. It is useless and nonsense. She may simply be saying these things out of frustration because her father is now on trial before the ICC)," Castro explained.
Vice President Duterte, speaking before supporters in The Hague, accused Marcos and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV of being "traitors," alleging they were responsible for sending the former president to face trial before the ICC. The elder Duterte is currently detained at the ICC detention facility in The Hague while awaiting trial on charges of crimes against humanity over thousands of alleged killings linked to his administration's anti-illegal drug campaign.
Castro emphasized that the ICC case was initiated long before Marcos assumed the presidency. "Ang kaso na naisampa kay dating Pangulong Duterte ay noong taon pang 2017 habang si Pangulong Marcos Jr. noon ay isang ordinaryo at pribadong mamamayan lang. Hindi ito kasalanan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. Tumutupad lang ang Pangulo sa batas (The case against former president Duterte was filed as early as 2017, when President Marcos Jr. was still an ordinary private citizen. This is not President Marcos Jr.'s fault. The President is simply complying with the law)," she added.
Furthermore, Castro remarked that responsibility for the case stems from the former president's own actions and admissions. She also noted that Duterte's frustration might be due to the ICC being "an impartial court" that cannot be swayed or threatened.
