Palace shrugs off Bato's suggestion to sanction owner of jet that flew Duterte to Hague

Malacañang does not see the need for the Philippine Senate to submit its findings to US President Donald Trump regarding the owner of the aircraft that carried former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague, as suggested by Senator Bato dela Rosa.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said she reviewed a US executive order that imposes sanctions on any non-American person or organization that will cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) without the authorization of the foreign government from a NATO and major non-NATO ally.

This came after dela Rosa called on the Senate foreign relations committee to submit its findings about the arrest of Duterte, who was taken to the ICC using the aircraft Gulfstream G550, and sought to freeze its owner's assets.

And from what she learned, Castro said, the US, is in fact, "respects the prerogative of a US ally" regarding its cooperation with the ICC.

"Lumalabas po na parte po tayo sa nababanggit po na executive order (It appears that we're part of the executive order)," she said.

"Pero maliwanag din po sa sinabing executive order na dito po sa bandang sa akin po ay page 9, okay, (But it's also clear in the said EO, on page 9) and I quote, 'The United States remains committed to the accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order at the ICC.

And the parties to the Rome Statute must expect the decisions of the United States and another country not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives,'" she added.

Castro said the Philippines only executed its prerogative to cooperate with the Interpol—the body that executed the arrest warrant from the ICC—based on Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

"So, wala po akong nakikita na maaring maging dahilan ni Senator Bato para siya ay tumakbo sa US para humingi ng tulong para ma-freeze iyong asset ‘nung may-ari ‘nung aircraft (So I don't see the reason for Senator Bato to seek help from the US in freezing the asset of the aircraft's owner)," she said.