Calls for people power fail to move Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is unfazed by supposed calls for people power following former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest on Tuesday, saying the Philippine government was simply "doing its job."

In a press conference on Tuesday night, Marcos himself announced that Duterte was being brought to The Hague in the Netherlands to face charges in connection with the killings in the past administration's war on drugs.

Marcos said the Philippine government followed all the legal procedures, dismissing the claims from the Duterte camp that the arrest of the former president was unlawful.

"The supporters of the former president? Well, you know — again, the government is just doing its job. It's not because it's one person or another that we do the things that we do," Marcos said.

"Maybe in past administrations, that's how things were done. But for me, it's not like that," he added.

Obeying laws of nations

The President also said that the government was merely obeying laws as a member of a community of nations.

"We must live up to our responsibilities to the commitments that we have made to the community of nations," he said.

Duterte is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration's bloody drug war.

Supporters of Duterte, including former Palace spokesman Harry Roque, have called for a "People Power" movement in opposition to the Marcos administration's role in Duterte's arrest.

Marcos, however, dismissed allegations of political persecution, questioning why the government would target Duterte when he is no longer in a position to seek higher office.

"Politics doesn't enter into it. Why — he's never going to be a candidate for anything. Why go after him? And besides, it was 2017, I wasn't there yet, I was still a civilian then," Marcos said, referring to the ICC case filed against Duterte.

"This case started in 2017 when we were still members of the ICC and it was during the time of former president Duterte. So, I don't see how that can be political persecution on my part because it was initiated before I even came into the picture," he added.

Duterte was taken into police custody on Tuesday morning upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City from Hong Kong and was transferred to Villamor Air Base.

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Manila on Tuesday received the official copy of the ICC's arrest order against Duterte, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office.

The arrest warrant served to Duterte was signed by pretrial chamber Presiding Judge Julia Antoanella Motoc and two other magistrates, Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera, on March 7.

In the same press briefing, Marcos also maintained that the Philippine government was not cooperating with the ICC.

He said that the Interpol asked for help, and the Philippines honored its commitments to the Interpol.

"It's a request to the Philippine government from Interpol to enforce the arrest warrant, and of course, we comply with our commitments to Interpol," the President said.

"We do not do this because it was derived from or came from ICC. We did this because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments with them, and we live up to those commitments," he added.

Marcos also said there was a "physical copy" of the arrest warrant against Duterte.

He said the document would be made public for transparency.

ICC case

The ICC is investigating Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity, in connection with the deaths associated with his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and president of the Philippines.

Despite the Philippines' withdrawal from the ICC in March 2019, the chamber maintained that it still has jurisdiction over the alleged crimes committed in the country.

In a brief statement after the plane had taken off, the ICC confirmed that one of its pretrial chambers had issued an arrest warrant for Duterte on charges of "murder as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between Nov. 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019."

The ICC arrest warrant said "there are reasonable grounds to believe that" the attack on victims "was both widespread and systematic: the attack took place over a period of several years and thousands people appear to have been killed."

Duterte's arrest was necessary "to ensure his appearance before the court," the March 7 warrant said. "Mindful of the resultant risk of interference with the investigations and the security of witnesses and victims, the chamber is satisfied that the arrest of Mr. Duterte is necessary."

Estimates of the death toll of the crackdown during Duterte's presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

Duterte has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defense and has always defended the crackdown, repeatedly telling his supporters he was ready to "rot in jail" if it meant ridding the Philippines of illicit drugs.

'Public must be discerning'

Malacañang on Wednesday urged the public to be discerning amid calls for an uprising following the arrest of former president Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity related to his administration's bloody war on drugs.

Supporters of Duterte, including those who served under his watch, were calling "diehards" to take to the streets to protest his alleged illegal arrest, which they say is an affront of the country's sovereignty, arguing that the Philippines is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC who issued the warrant of arrest enforced by the Interpol last Tuesday.

In a briefing, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said that instead of a "people power," citizens must inform themselves and fully understand Duterte's case with the ICC.

She even described the plan as an act that would seem to push for the downfall of the government.

"Isn't this a call for the downfall of the government? First of all, there is a warrant of arrest. Second, a case was filed. And third, there are alleged victims who will testify," Castro said in Filipino as she insisted that there was nothing irregular about Duterte's arrest.

"This is not just a made-up story. There were victims. There was no planting of evidence. The case did not stem from the Philippines. It is a case pending before the ICC. What is their reason for enticing the people to launch an uprising against the government when the government is adhering to the rule of law?" she added.