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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Duterte's legal team 'should do better' — Palace

Duterte's legal team 'should do better' — Palace

Published Jul 8, 2025 02:48 pm
Malacañang has advised the legal team of former president Rodrigo Duterte to “do better” rather than insisting that the arrest was a result of political maneuvering.
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro
PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this when sought for reaction on the move of Duterte counsel to submit before the International Criminal Court (ICC) a report of the Senate Committee on foreign relations on the former president’s arrest.
“For the fees he has allegedly been demanding from his client, former president Rodrigo Duterte, he should do better than that,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, July 8.
“He should concentrate on his defenses, he should concentrate on the allegations and admissions of the former president of his killings and that he ordered the killings of some people in relation to war on drugs, and he also admitted that he will double the EJK killings once elected as a mayor. He should concentrate on that. That is supposed to be part of his defense for his client,” Castro added.
The Palace official also said that Duterte's legal team should also remember that the case against the former president was filed as early as 2017.
“So wala pa po si Pangulong Marcos, ang administrasyon na ito para po ibintang ang mga ganitong klase sa kasalukuyang administrasyon. So, dapat mas pagbutihan pa po niya ang pag-research ng kanyang mga facts para po hindi po siya maligaw (So, President Marcos and this administration were not yet in power for them to be blamed for what is happening now. Therefore, he should improve his research on the facts so that he does not get misled),” she added.
Castro also stressed that the report of the Senate Committee on foreign relations on the arrest of Duterte, which his side believes would help his case, might actually be a disadvantage to the former president.
“Baka maging negatibo pa po sa kanila (This might even cause a negative effect to them),” Castro said.
She pointed out that “perhaps the ICC judges are not blind to see what the truth might really be in this case.”

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President Marcos Rodrigo Duterte ICC
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