Malacañang said arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be immediately enforced in the Philippines without the need for approval from local courts, stressing that the Marcos administration remains guided by law and due process.

In an interview with DZMM on Sunday, May 24, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government’s position on ICC warrants has already been clarified by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Nagsalita ang DOJ na ngayon, pinapa-effect ang warrant of arrest mula sa ICC. So, tingin ko, maliwanag naman kung ano yung stance ng Pangulo dito, ng gobyerno (The DOJ has already spoken and said the ICC warrant of arrest is now being enforced. So I think the position of the President and the government on this is already clear),” she said.

Castro also maintained that ICC warrants do not need to pass through Philippine courts before implementation, citing Republic Act No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, and the legal opinion earlier raised by Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe.

“Hindi kailangan dumaan sa local court. Meron tayong RA 9851. Nakasaad doon kung ano ang opsyon ng pagtugon ng gobyerno (It does not need to pass through local courts. We have RA 9851. It states the government’s options for responding),” she said.

“At international court, ang pinag-uusapan natin dito, hindi isang requesting state (We are talking about an international court here, not a requesting state),” she added.

Castro stressed that the government believes it is not violating any Philippine law by implementing ICC warrants.

Asked if future ICC warrants against other personalities linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war would also be implemented immediately, Castro replied: “Yes, oo. Ganun pa rin (Yes, it will still be the same).”

The Palace official also said law enforcement agencies were already directed to enforce the warrant against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa following the Supreme Court’s refusal to issue a temporary restraining order.

“Yung instruction… sinabi ni [Justice] Secretary [Fredderick] Vida na i-effect ang warrant of arrest. So, lahat po ng law enforcers na may authority na mang aresto kay Sen. Bato, yun po yung gagawin (The instruction, according to Secretary Vida, is to effect the arrest warrant. So all law enforcers with authority to arrest Sen. Bato are expected to carry that out),” Castro said.

Castro, however, said Malacañang has not received information yet regarding possible new ICC warrants against other personalities.

“Sa ngayon, wala pang ibinababa sa atin na impormasyon kung meron ganyan (As of now, no information has been relayed to us about that),” she said.

“Pero, hindi ito kataka-taka kung meron man. Dahil marami pang co-perpetrators na nabanggit ang ICC (But it would not be surprising if there are more because the ICC mentioned many alleged co-perpetrators),” she added.

Castro also said personalities previously involved in law enforcement should understand the meaning of arrest warrants and voluntarily surrender if no court order blocks their implementation.

“Kung meron dyan warrant of arrest at wala naman sinsabing na TRO mula sa Supreme Court, dapat sila mismo ang sumuko, for me (If there is a warrant of arrest and there is no TRO from the Supreme Court, for me, they themselves should surrender),” she said.

“Dati kayo nag-e-enforce eh. Kayo yung dati nagpapatupad ng warrant of arrest (You used to enforce warrants yourselves. You were the ones implementing warrants of arrest before),” she added.

The Palace official also said President Marcos remains focused on ensuring that the law and proper legal processes are followed.

“Ang gusto ng Pangulo, masunod ang batas, masunod ang tamang proseso (What the President wants is for the law and proper process to be followed),” she added.