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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOJ to wait for SC ruling should ICC issue arrest warrants vs 'co-perpetrators'

DOJ to wait for SC ruling should ICC issue arrest warrants vs 'co-perpetrators'

Published Feb 18, 2026 06:13 pm
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 18, said it will wait for the Supreme Court (SC) ruling before taking action on arrest warrants that may be issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the so-called co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the illegal drugs killings.
DOJ Spokesperson Raphael Niccolo L. Martinez pointed this out after the ICC issued last Feb. 13 a 16-page Document Containing the Charges (DCC) that named the eight alleged co-perpetrators of the former president.
The ICC identified the alleged co-perpetrators as Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa who was the former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP); former National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) regional director Vicente Danao; former NCRPO regional director Camilo Cascolan; former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde; Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go; former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Dante Gierran; former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña; and former DOJ secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
Duterte’s arrest on March 11, 2025 and his turnover to the ICC were challenged by the former president and Dela Rosa before the SC.
Duterte’s children also filed petitions for writ of habeas corpus challenging the arrest of their father.
The petitions are still pending resolution by the SC.
Due to the pendency of the petitions, Martinez said “the DOJ takes the position that it will be prudent to wait for the resolution of the Supreme Court before it acts upon any alleged warrant should one be issued.”
In the meantime, he said that any action that could be taken against the eight persons identified by the ICC is an executive prerogative.
Martinez explained that “may mga interplay kasi ng mga laws (there are interplay in our laws).”
Among these laws, he cited Republic Act (RA) 9851, the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
Under the law, he said that “there are two modes by which an international court or tribunal can acquire jurisdiction over a person located here, that’s either through extradition or surrender.”
Though the Philippines has withdrawn as a state party of the ICC, Martinez reminded that the country is still a member of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
“Kung nag-isyu ho kunwari ang Interpol ng red notice or nag-ask sa atin for assistance in executing a warrant issued by the ICC (If the Interpol issues a red notice or asks us for assistance in executing a warrant issued by the ICC), we must still have to comply because we are still a member,” he said.
He cautioned against the consequences if the country does not comply with the Interpol’s request. He did not elaborate.
Since last year, Duterte has been detained at the prison facility of the ICC in the Hague, the Netherlands. He has been charged with crimes against humanity.
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