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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Walang kuntsabahan': Solon belies VP Duterte's theory of Marcos-ICC collusion

'Walang kuntsabahan': Solon belies VP Duterte's theory of Marcos-ICC collusion

Published Jul 21, 2025 09:12 am

At A Glance

  • Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun said President Marcos had nothing to do with former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as claimed by the latter's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun said President Marcos had nothing to do with former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as claimed by the latter's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
Khonghun said that the Vice President’s conspiracy theory--that President Marcos' faked kindness and colluded with the ICC to arrest her father--was not only absurd but a dangerous attempt to mislead the public and stir unrest.
“Walang kuntsabahan. Walang pakikialam. At lalong walang script na siya ang nagpahuli sa dating Pangulo (No collusion. No interference. And definitely no script saying he orchestrated the arrest of the former President),” Khonghun, a "Young Guns" bloc member, said.
“President Bongbong Marcos is not hiding behind kindness. He leads with calm, principle and respect for the rule of law. Hindi siya tulad ng mga lider na kailangang sumigaw, manakot at magsinungaling para mapansin (He is not like leaders who need to shout, intimidate, and lie just to get attention)," he said.
The elder Duterte is being detained and tried by the ICC at The Hague in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s bloody war on drugs. 
According to Khonghun, President Marcos has kept a firm distance from the ICC in connection with the case against his predecessor.
Moreover, Khonghun said the Vice President’s remarks betray a fundamental misunderstanding or a willful distortion of how a constitutional democracy works.
“Hindi lahat ng galaw ng gobyerno ay kontrolado ng Pangulo (The President doesn't control every move of the government). We are no longer under a regime where one man can order arrests left and right. President Marcos governs with restraint and humility, not with vendetta,” he said.
During a rally calling for the release of her father, the Vice President accused President Marcos of giving the ICC what it wanted by supposedly helping facilitate the former president’s arrest, saying this was all political theater to remove a strong critic.
Khonghun called this logic twisted and insulting.
“Tsismis ba ang libo-libong patayan? Tsismis ba ang luha ng mga nanay na naulila? Tsismis ba ang mga ulat ng international and local human rights groups? (Are the thousands of killings just gossip? Are the tears of grieving mothers mere rumors? Are the reports from international and local human rights groups just hearsay?)” he asked.
“You call this gossip, we call it justice. Kung talagang walang kasalanan, harapin. Hindi ‘yung puro drama at siraan ang ginagawa (If truly innocent, then face the charges. Not just create drama and smear campaigns),” Khonghun pointed out.
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