Former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile said former president Rodrigo Duterte had no one to blame but himself for his arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, April 15, Enrile said he would not destroy the country's legal order or damage its reputation just to protect one man.

"My position is very simple: I will not burn the whole house to save the ass of a cook whose error, negligence, or hubris caused a fire in the kitchen," Enrile wrote.

According to President Marcos' chief legal counsel, protecting the state and upholding justice must come first.

"It is a basic—though nearly an unwritten—principle of statecraft that the defense of the state is a prime duty of every government," he added.

Duterte was arrested by Interpol at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with assistance from the Philippine National Police (PNP) following his return from Hong Kong on March 11.

Supporters of the former president claimed the arrest lacked due process and undermined Philippine sovereignty.

"Many of his supporters and admirers—some of whom are learned academicians and legal scholars—claim that FPRRD’s arrest was bereft of due process and that his delivery to the ICC for trial in the Netherlands was in violation of our dignity and sovereignty as a country," Enrile said.

"They blame BBM and his regime for this unprecedented legal event. With due respect to all, I beg to disagree," he added.

The 101-year-old political icon emphasized that the Philippines is governed by the rule of law and a regime of justice.

"Sovereignty resides in the people, and all government authority emanates from them," he said.

"We adopt the generally accepted principles of international law as a part of the law of our land. We adhere to the policy of cooperation and amity with all nations," he added.

Enrile also invoked the Constitution, saying Marcos was simply fulfilling his oath to preserve and defend it, execute its laws, and "do justice to every man."

"How can anyone validly claim that BBM kidnapped FPRRD and delivered him to the ICC for trial in the Netherlands in the face of all the constitutional principles I have recited in this post and the provisions of Republic Act No. 9851, especially Chapter VII thereof?,” he said.

RA No. 9851 allows Philippine authorities to surrender or extradite suspected or accused persons in the country to the appropriate international court.