manilastandard.net
@ManilaStandardPH
@mnlstandardph
@manilastandard
@ManilaStandardYT
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 09173382170 / 85646229
NO POLITICS, JUST FULFILLING INTERPOL COMMITMENTS — PBBM By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said the government was obligated to fulfill its commitments to the Interpol when it assisted in serving the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity.
“Interpol asked for help and we obliged because we have commitments to Interpol which we have to fulfill,” he said in a late night press conference after the departure of the chartered private jet that took Duterte to the Hague, in the Netherlands. “This is what the international community expects of us as the leader of a democratic country that
is part of the community of nations,” the President added. Duterte’s allies have called the arrest politically motivated, linking it to the 2028 presidential elections. However, Mr. Marcos dismissed the claim, pointing out that the ICC case began in 2017 while Duterte was still in office. “This case started in 2017 when we
were still members of the ICC and during the time of former President Duterte. I don’t see how that can be political persecution on my part because it was initiated before I even came into the picture,” he said. When asked whether the arrest violated the country’s sovereignty, Marcos dismissed the claim, stating that the
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Next page
VP slams ‘oppression,’ set to fly to The Hague Vice President Sara Duterte
VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday slammed the arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, as a form of “oppression and persecution.” The Vice President, who arrived from Hong Kong Tuesday afternoon, proceeded to the Villamor Air Base where her father was but was barred entry. “The Philippines is like a doormat for other countries
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 29 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025
Next page
Rody arrested, extradited to ICC To be tried in The Hague for crimes against humanity By Charles Dantes, Joel Zurbano, Rachelle Tonelada, Vince Lopez and Rex Espiritu
F
ORMER President Rodrigo Duterte was extradited to The Hague, Netherlands late Tuesday evening where he will stand trial before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs. The 79-year-old Duterte, who was ar- nila from Hong Kong, boarded a private rested earlier in the day by Interpol and jet that took off at around 11:03 p.m. local authorities upon his return to MaNext page
ROTTERDAM
DUBAI MANILA
China hits ICC; int’l rights groups hail arrest CHINA came to the defense of former President Rodrigo Duterte following his arrest on the back of an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs yesterday. ASEAN parliamentarians and international rights groups, however, hailed his arrest, calling it a “decisive step in the fight against impunity.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning warned the ICC against its alleged “politicization” and “double standards.” “China has noted the relevant information and is closely monitoring the development of the situation,” she told a briefing in Beijing when asked about Duterte’s arrest.
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, for its part, said the issuance of a red notice against Duterte “underscores the global imperative to hold perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable.” “No individual, regardless of power or position, is above the law. Justice for
AT EASE. Arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte and his Executive Secretary Bingbong Medialdea wait for the departure of the private executive jet for The Hague, Netherlands at the tarmac of NAIA airport. Screengrab from ABSCBN / FB of ret. Lt. Gen. Escobal
Next page
Duterte foes, EJK victims cheer arrest By Maricel V. Cruz, Rachelle Tonelada and Ram Superable
tue of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant . The most prominent of them all was former justice secretary and human rights lawyer Leila De LEGISLATORS, human rights advocates and the Lima, who suffered years-long detention on drug Catholic hierarchy were united in celebrating yester- charges filed by the Duterte administration. day former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by virNext page
LOYALISTS. Supporters of Duterte mass up in front of the gate of Villamor Air Base to protest the former President’s arrest and detention. AFP
Rody’s lawyers seek SC intervention By Pot Chavez, Rachelle Tonelada and Charles Dantes
RETRIBUTION. Relatives of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s administration offer prayers after a mass held following news of his arrest. AFP
tional Criminal Court (ICC) against him, even as staunch supporters questioned whether he was afforded due process. On Tuesday, Lawyer Israelito Torreon filed a THE legal team of embattled former President Rodrigo Duterte urged the Supreme Court (SC) to petition for certiorari and prohibition before the block the warrant of arrest issued by the InternaNext page