Among the main agendas for the looming Senate investigation into the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte is to clarify the involvement including the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), as well as the various government agencies.
Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is set to preside over the probe an issue that for her has "deeply divided the nation" on March 20, Thursday.
This investigation of the Upper Chamber also seeks the confirm that measures were taken to ensure that the rights of Duterte under domestic laws and relevant treaties were properly protected throughout the process.
Ultimately, all other information that will be gathered can help aid in crafting necessary legislation on the coordination between Philippine authorities and international tribunals as well as law enforcement organizations.
Resource persons invited to the hearing are the Department of Justice (DOJ), National Security Council (NSC), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Department of National Defense (DND), Philippine Center of Transnational Crime (PCTC), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Transportation - Office of Transportation Security, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration, Office of the President.
Supporters allied with the former president have been questioning his arrest that happened on Tuesday, March 11, after Interpol received an arrest warrant from the ICC.
Duterte was brought to The Hague in the Netherlands, where he will be facing charges of crimes against humanity in relation to the bloody anti-drug war during his administration. His confirmation of charges hearing is set on Sept. 23.
Marcos has been vocal about her disbelief in Duterte's arrest and even skipped the campaign rally of the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in Tacloban, citing Duterte's arrest as a reason.