Senator Imee Marcos has criticized the Philippine government for allowing former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it was akin to surrendering a fellow Filipino to foreign powers.
During a Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Thursday, Marcos presented video clips documenting Duterte’s arrest upon his return from Hong Kong and his subsequent transfer to the Netherlands. She questioned why a Filipino leader was handed over to outsiders, emphasizing that the country should have jurisdiction over its own citizens.
“If your sibling was being persecuted, would you hand them over? If it were your father or grandfather—elderly and sick—being dragged out of your home, would you just watch?” Marcos argued.
She warned that if the ICC could take Duterte, it could happen to any Filipino, calling the move an affront to national dignity. Marcos vowed to push for safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.