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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Duterte's legal team has contingency plan for ICC case—Roque

Duterte's legal team has contingency plan for ICC case—Roque

Published Mar 17, 2025 04:23 am

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who resurfaced in The Hague after leaving the country in 2024 amid a congressional hearing into his alleged links to the illegal offshore gambling operations, assured that their camp has “contingency” plans in place for former president Rodrigo Duterte’s International Criminal Court (ICC) crimes against humanity case.

PRRD_ICC3.jpegFormer president Rodrigo Duterte at his initial appearance hearing via video link on Friday, March 14, 2025 at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. (ICC Photo)

Roque shared that he and Vice President Sara Duterte have been preparing since a year ago.

“What we have expected everything to happen, in fact, happened. So, meron kaming (we have) contingency for everything that has happened,” he told GMANews Integrated last weekend.

Once a human rights lawyer, Roque said he had been expecting the ICC arrest warrant and Duterte’s eventual detention in The Hague “for the past three years.”

“Of course, medyo minority view ako dahil maraming nagsasabi imposibleng mangyayari 'yan dahil sinasabi ni Presidente Marcos di sya makikipagtulungan (I am in the minority because a lot of them are saying that’s impossible because President Marcos said he will not cooperate). I never believed this not even for one second, never,” he stressed.

‘Unacceptable’

The former Palace spokesman also said that it is “unacceptable” for him that the former president’s next hearing before the ICC is set as far as Sept. 23.

As one of the only five Filipino accredited ICC lawyers, Roque shared that he would soon discuss with the former president’s legal team about the next hearing.

“I would rather na mag-discuss muna kami (we discuss) as a team. I have to be a team player but it is unacceptable to us, to me personally, because hindi pa kami nagmi-meeting as a legal team maghahantay ng September 23 (we haven’t met as a legal team to wait for September 23),” he said.

Duterte faced for the first time the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber on Friday, March 14, to formally hear the charges against him, as well as be informed about his rights under the Rome Statute. The former president is facing charges of crimes against humanity of murder for his “war on drugs.”

The next hearing, which is the confirmation of charges and not the actual trial, was set on Sept. 23.

Roque said they would have a meeting, though he doesn’t have information on what time that would be.

Duterte’s camp earlier confirmed that the lead counsel of the former president’s legal team is lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, a member of the British Bar.

“Nagkausap kami ni Atty. Kaufman. Naghahantay pa rin kami (I talked with Atty. Kaufman. We are still waiting),” he said.

An ICC-accredited lawyer himself, Roque has yet to confirm if he could be part of the former president’s legal team already, noting that former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea was recognized only as a counsel for the pre-trial last Friday.

“Hindi ko lam kasi hanggang ngayon wala pa rin kaming (I don’t know because until now, we don’t have the permission yet) permiso to enter the detention facility. So, hindi ko pa rin alam (I don’t know yet),” he added.

Slippers, socks

The former Palace spokesman revealed that Duterte also requested for socks and slippers apart from telling his daughter that he really missed Filipino food.

“Nag-request si Presidente kay VP Sara ng medyas at tsinelas (The President has asked VP Sara [Duterte] for socks and slippers),” he shared.

The Vice President is currently in The Hague to form her father’s legal team while waiting for another next of kin to replace her before going home to the Philippines.

The Duterte camp is expected to raise the 79-year-old’s health condition to ask for an interim release before the Sept. 23 hearing.

However, reports said that the ICC has never granted an interim release on anyone accused of crimes against humanity.

Related Tags

contingecy plan The Hague Harry Roque Rodrigo Duterte
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