Senator Imee Marcos is set to formally present on Tuesday, April 29, the official findings from three hearings conducted by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations regarding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which she insists was long-planned by the administration.

In an interview, the presidential sister outlined a detailed timeline of events, beginning in May 2024, when according to her, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a legal report on the possibility of Duterte’s arrest, up to March 11, 2025, when Duterte was arrested and transferred to The Hague.

She emphasized that the sequence of events points to a "planned effort" by the administration to bring down the Dutertes. Marcos said that Duterte’s arrest was not in accordance with Philippine law.

With this, she also raised doubts about the possibility of future hearings.

“Hindi ako sigurado kung magkakaroon pa tayo ng susunod na pagdinig, sapagkat walang mga testigong sumisipot, ayaw pirmahan ang subpoena, at paulit-ulit na dinadahilan ang executive privilege, sub judice, at kung anu-ano pa (“I’m not sure if we’ll still have another hearing, because no witnesses are showing up, they refuse to sign the subpoenas, and they keep invoking executive privilege, sub judice, and all sorts of other excuses)," the senator said.

According to Marcos, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s findings suggest that the arrest and transport of former President Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was politically motivated.

“A clear pattern begins to arise where major political incidents precede significant statements and actions of the administration cooperating with the ICC," she explained.

Marcos detailed that after Duterte criticized the administration's push for constitutional change, the government responded by stating that the Philippines was an "open country" and could only act against the ICC if something illegal was done.

She further pointed out that after Duterte attended the House quad-comm hearing, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issued a statement encouraging local authorities to consider cooperation with Interpol. When pro-administration congressmen were advised to tone down impeachment efforts following a massive Iglesia Ni Cristo rally, the administration allegedly responded with the creation of "Oplan Tugis" or "Operation Pursuit," accompanied by statements from the Secretary of Justice expressing openness to cooperating with the ICC.

“So it's apparent that the final arrest of the former President on March 11 was part of a whole-of-government effort to bring down the Dutertes as early as possible before 2028," Marcos said.

She also noted that even after Duterte’s arrest, Vice President Sara Duterte remained a political threat. Marcos pointed to the House of Representatives' investigations into the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds, which ultimately led to VP Sara’s impeachment.

“Maliwanag to, no? Sa umpisa, yung (This is clear, right? In the start it was) Constitutional Change or the People's Initiative. Thereafter, the Committee on Human Rights and the quad-comm. And thereafter, the ICC started arriving as of October. The foreign investigators, lawyers, etc., started to work on obtaining a warrant of arrest,” she said.

Marcos is expected to discuss these findings in greater detail during her press conference on April 29.