Senator Robin Padilla’s effort to rally Senate support for the repatriation of former President Rodrigo Duterte from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was denied—at least for now.
Padilla’s office confirmed Tuesday that he submitted a resolution Monday afternoon urging the Senate to back calls for Duterte’s return to the Philippines. However, the Senate Bills and Index Service rejected the filing, citing the sine die adjournment of the 19th Congress.
The resolution, which Padilla vowed to refile once the 20th Congress opens on June 30, urged the government to “foster reconciliation and national unity” by pushing for Duterte’s repatriation. It also aimed to reassert the Philippines’ jurisdiction over its citizens by “reaffirming the exclusive right of the Philippines to investigate and prosecute its citizens.”
In the draft, Padilla also proposed an alternative: if full repatriation is not achievable, the government should at least seek Duterte’s interim release “under conditions acceptable to the ICC,” without conceding the court’s jurisdiction.
A close ally of the former president, Padilla was one of the first Philippine officials to visit Duterte after his detention at The Hague began.
