BRITISH-ISRAELI NAMED DUTERTE’S LEAD COUNSEL
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LEGAL TEAM TO CHALLENGE ICC JURISDICTION—ROQUE 20 .00
By Ratziel San Juan and Rachelle Tonelada
IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 33 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES MARCH 16, 2025
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RODY’S LEGAL TEAM. British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman (left) will serve as the lead counsel of former President Rodigo Duterte in his crime against humanity case before the International Criminal Court. Other members of the legal team are Duterte’s former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea and spokesperson Harry Roque. Vice President Sara Duterte, also a lawyer, is spearheading the formation of the legal team. Photo (below) shows her addressing supporters gathered outside the ICC Friday. AFP
VP WON’T RETURN TO PH UNTIL NEXT OF KIN ARRIVES By Rachelle Tonelada LEAVING the Netherlands is not an option for Vice President Sara Duterte at the moment as she intends to stay until another family member arrives to ensure her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is not left alone. Speaking to reporters outside of the ICC detention facility Friday, the Vice President said her father had repeatedly urged her to return to the Philippines during their onehour visit. “I will not leave until a relative comes to make sure there is a next of kin,” said the younger Duterte, also facing an upcoming impeachment trial in the Philippines.
“When we talked, as a request, he asked me to go home. He repeatedly said, ‘Do not leave the country. Do not leave the Philippines.’ He said I should already go back and leave him here. But I said I cannot immediately go back because no one will decide for him outside. Very limited people have access to him right now,” she added. Only allowed to meet her father in the ICC’s visiting area and not inside the detention facility, she assured the public the former president was in “good spirit.” “He is well taken care of. He just commented that he really misses Filipino food, that’s all. Very recently their meal had rice, so that was a
good development,” she said. The Vice President confirmed arrangements are already underway to grant family members access to her father and that she is working on assembling his legal team while in the Netherlands. “So I told him that I just have to form that legal team, then I can work remotely in the Philippines talking to the legal team. And then, yes, they just need the next of kin to come here. And everyone’s applying for a visa right now,” she said. Malacañang previously confirmed the Vice President was granted travel authority until April 30 for multiple entries into different countries.
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ICE President Sara Duterte has named lawyer Nicholas Kaufman as the lead counsel of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Kaufman is set to join the legal team, which also includes former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. The Vice President said her father’s defense team will meet with Kaufman upon the latter’s arrival in The Hague. Kaufman, an ICC-accredited lawyer, is a member of the British Bar. The British-Israeli lawyer’s LinkedIn profile showed that he studied law at the University of Cambridge. His profile also states that he specializes in “international criminal law, supra-national regulatory law, and commercial arbitration” on top of being a “legal public relations specialist with an emphasis on international reputation management, litigation, and crisis public relations. Kaufman was previously appointed as the counsel for Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka, the alleged former National Coordinator of Operations of the Anti-Balaka who was suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly in various locations in the Central African Republic. The pre-trial chamber, however, revoked Kaufman’s appointment as Mokom’s counsel due to a “conflict of interest” related to his representation of other clients. Kaufman also served as counsel for Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, President and Commanderin-chief of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, but later requested to withdraw from the latter’s representation as the client “could not meet the obligation to pay for the legal services provided.” He also previously served as lawyer of Aisha Gaddafi, daughter of the late Libyan leader Muammar who also faced the ICC. Roque, for his part, said they will challenge the ICC’s jurisdiction before the next hearing on September 23. Roque criticized the ICC for allegedly disregarding the issue of kidnapping as a factor that should strip the court of jurisdiction.
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MARCOS HIKES AFP DAILY SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE TO P350 By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved a 133 percent increase in the daily subsistence allowance for officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from P150 to P350. Outlined in Executive Order No. 84 signed on March 14, the adjustment will apply retroactively starting January 1 and will take effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. “It is imperative to increase the subsistence allowance of all officers and enlisted personnel of the AFP, to protect and promote their welfare, in recognition of their sacrifices and perseverance in defending and upholding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mr. Marcos sid in his order. The government last adjusted the AFP’s subsistence allowance in 2015 under Congress Joint Resolution No. 5. The adjustment will also apply to trainees, probationary second lieutenants and ensigns undergoing training, Citizen Military Training cadets, and reservists. Speaker Martin Romualdez, who pushed the additional subsistence allowance under the 2025 national budget, said: “This is a well-deserved increase for our brave and dedicated soldiers who tirelessly defend our country. It is a concrete manifestation of our commitment to improving their welfare and recognizing their sacrifices for our nation.”
PALACE: JUSTICE ROLLING DOWN WITH ICC’S ‘FAIR’ TRIAL By Charles Dantes, Rachelle Tonelada and Rex Espiritu JUSTICE is starting to roll down following former President Rodrigo Duterte’s first appearance before the International Criminal Court, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro on Saturday said. “Witnessing the first appearance attended by FP Duterte before the ICC, everybody could see how justice starts to roll down,” Castro said in a statement.
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“This is what we call a fair trial,” she added. According to her, the ICC denied any postponement of the hearing as it was not yet the time for Duterte to present his defense. “The judge even emphasized that the Court’s doctor gave the opinion that FP Duterte is fully mentally aware and fit and that he had undergone further checks and tests at the detention facility,” Castro said. Duterte, for his part, assured his supporters “there will be a day of reckoning for all” in a message relayed through Vice President Sara Duterte
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during her visit at the ICC detention facility in Scheveningen. “I told him a lot of people are crying. They are depressed, hurt, stressed about what happened and what is happening right now, and what is happening in the country,” Sara told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino on Friday. “Then he (Rodrigo) said, ‘Tell them to relax. Everything has an end. There will be a day of reckoning for all,’” she added. The former president is facing charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s controversial war on drugs.
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RECORD-BREAKING SM2SM Run 2025. A massive crowd of 14,600 runners filled the streets at SM Seaside City Cebu for the biggest SM2SM race on record over the weekend.
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