Palace advice to Imee: Invite more law experts
(UPDATE) MALACAÑANG on Tuesday asked Sen. Imee Marcos to invite international law experts with varying views to provide a broader perspective on the legality of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte during the ongoing Senate hearing. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Senator Marcos would no longer need the opinion of Cabinet officials, perhaps if foreign law experts attended the Senate panel hearing on Duterte's arrest. Castro said it would also allow the senator to get a more comprehensive understanding of the legalities surrounding the arrest and avoid any potential misunderstandings. "It would be better if Sen. Imee Marcos hears not just one view. She should consider inviting more experts — especially those who are often interviewed and who provide different opinions from that of attorney Alex Medina — so that she can gain more clarity," Castro said during a Palace press briefing. "As we often say, if we only listen to one person or one expert, our understanding becomes unbalanced, and it might confuse her even more, especially since she mentioned that she is currently perplexed," she added. Castro, however, clarified that this was merely a suggestion. On Monday, Malacañang reconsidered its stance on the Senate's hearings on Duterte's arrest after invoking executive privilege to skip the hearings. The next Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Duterte's arrest is scheduled on April 10. Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 and was flown the same day to The Hague, Netherlands, to stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his administration's drug war. The former president made his first appearance at his pretrial hearing last March 14, three days after his arrest in Manila. Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, however, said he would not attend the April 10 hearing as he would be traveling to the US capital to lay the groundwork for a potential visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "We have to go there because there are 50 heads of state who are in line for meetings (with US President Donald Trump)," Remulla said in an interview. "This is just preparatory work — we're still negotiating the possible timing, whether it could happen within the year or next year," he said.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
(UPDATE) MALACAÑANG on Tuesday asked Sen. Imee Marcos to invite international law experts with varying views to provide a broader perspective on the legality of the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte during the ongoing Senate hearing.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Senator Marcos would no longer need the opinion of Cabinet officials, perhaps if foreign law experts attended the Senate panel hearing on Duterte's arrest.
Castro said it would also allow the senator to get a more comprehensive understanding of the legalities surrounding the arrest and avoid any potential misunderstandings.
"It would be better if Sen. Imee Marcos hears not just one view. She should consider inviting more experts — especially those who are often interviewed and who provide different opinions from that of attorney Alex Medina — so that she can gain more clarity," Castro said during a Palace press briefing.
"As we often say, if we only listen to one person or one expert, our understanding becomes unbalanced, and it might confuse her even more, especially since she mentioned that she is currently perplexed," she added.
Castro, however, clarified that this was merely a suggestion.
On Monday, Malacañang reconsidered its stance on the Senate's hearings on Duterte's arrest after invoking executive privilege to skip the hearings.
The next Senate foreign relations committee hearing on Duterte's arrest is scheduled on April 10.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 and was flown the same day to The Hague, Netherlands, to stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his administration's drug war.
The former president made his first appearance at his pretrial hearing last March 14, three days after his arrest in Manila.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, however, said he would not attend the April 10 hearing as he would be traveling to the US capital to lay the groundwork for a potential visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
"We have to go there because there are 50 heads of state who are in line for meetings (with US President Donald Trump)," Remulla said in an interview.
"This is just preparatory work — we're still negotiating the possible timing, whether it could happen within the year or next year," he said.
