Even if UniTeam did not break up, the Marcos administration will still cooperate with the Interpol to arrest former president Rodrigo Duterte and help in bringing him to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this on Friday, March 14, when asked if the arrest would still push through if there was no fallout between President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte alliance.
"Of course, we will just abide by the law," Castro said in an interview.
Castro pointed out that there will be no special treatment even for the sake of friendship. The Marcos administration, she added, was bound to fulfill its commitment with the Interpol, regardless of the relationship between the two highest officials in the country.
"Kung ano man po ang kasunduan, kahit sino pa po 'yan, meron pang UniTeam, walang UniTeam, it will be the same. Hindi po tayo pwedeng magkaroon ng special treatment dahil may friendship (Whatever the deal was, whoever that is, there's UniTeam or none, it will be the same. We cannot give special treatment just because there is friendship)," the Palace official said.
The President and the Vice President were runningmates in the 2022 elections under the political alliance dubbed as "UniTeam."
Their alliance started falling out when the Vice President resigned from her position in the Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) in June last year. She later bared that her reason for stepping down from the Marcos Cabinet was a mix of personal and professional issues.