Malacañang on Thursday branded as ‘baseless, pointless, and useless’ Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the Inernational Criminal Court (ICC) is a lapdog of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
In a speech during a rally held outside the ICC detention center in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte claimed that Marcos and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV paved the way for the international court’s arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
‘And so, how do we characterize Trillanes and Marcos in relation to ICC? Yes, they are traitors to the Filipino and to the country. But more than that, ang ICC, ay tuta ni (the ICc is a lapdog of) Trillanes at ni (and) Marcos,’ the vice president said during the rally.
Palace press officer Claire Castro, in a briefing, said Duterte’s statements may be triggered by frustrations about her father’s arrest.
‘Ang lahat po halos ng sinasabi ng Bise Presidente sa ngayon ay walang basehan, walang saysay, useless at nonsense. Maaaring ito ay kaniyang nasasabi out of frustration dahil ang kaniyang ama ngayon ay nililitis sa ICC,’ said Castro.
(Almost everything that the Vice President is saying at the moment has no basis, has no substance, is useless, and is nonsense. It may be that she is saying these things out of frustration because her father is currently being tried at the ICC.)
Reiterating her previous statements, Castro said the case against the elder Duterte was initiated in 2017, when Marcos was still a private citizen.
‘Hindi ito kasalanan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. Tumutupad lang ang Pangulo sa batas. Kung mayroong dapat sisihin, walang iba kung hindi ang kaniyang sariling ama dahil sa mga pag-amin nito na siya mismo ay pumatay at nagpapatay, kasama ang ibang mga co-perpetrators,’ said Castro.
(This is not the fault of President Marcos Jr. The President is merely upholding the law. If there is anyone who should be blamed, it is none other than her own father because of his own admissions that he personally killed and ordered killings, along with other co-perpetrators.)
In further dismissing Duterte’s statements, Castro said the vice president was likely upset because the ICC is an independent court that cannot be influenced or intimidated by threats of harm or any form of violence.
Meanwhile, Castro said there has been no discussion yet regarding the Philippines’ possible return to the ICC.
Castro also dismissed Duterte’s remarks about the country’s gun violence situation after the vice president claimed that a gunman could be hired for P5,000.
According to Castro, the vice president should be among those working to prevent such acts rather than encouraging them