Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo stated on Tuesday that he has yet to issue any instructions to the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, regarding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity.
“We have to see how the event would unfold,” Manalo said in a GMA News report after meeting with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon in Manila.
His statement came just hours after authorities apprehended Duterte following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, Manalo refrained from commenting on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) role in the matter, noting that the Philippines had severed ties with the ICC in 2019 under Duterte’s administration.
Duterte, who led the country from 2016 to 2022, initiated a controversial drug war that resulted in the deaths of at least 6,200 individuals in police operations, according to official records. Human rights groups, however, claim the actual death toll is significantly higher, prompting legal actions against him at the ICC.
Manalo clarified that agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are handling the situation.
Duterte was arrested upon his return from Hong Kong and brought to Villamor Airbase for a medical examination. It remains unclear whether he will be immediately transported to the ICC headquarters in The Hague to face trial.
