Malacanañg on Monday said the Philippines has not received any official communication regarding an Interpol red notice in connection with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro addressed the issue during a press briefing, saying the Department of Justice (DOJ) is also reviewing its records.
“We have not received any communication regarding a Red Notice, and we have spoken with DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico, who confirmed that they are also looking into their records. As of now, there is no official communication regarding that matter,” Castro said.
The statement follows reports that a red notice had been issued against Duterte, who is facing charges at the ICC for alleged human rights violations related to his administration’s drug war.
Asked whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin had provided any new directives on the ICC case, Castro reiterated the government’s position of non-cooperation.
“There have been reports of an issued arrest warrant, but as we’ve said, we cannot immediately confirm this without a physical copy of the warrant,” Castro said.
“According to the DOJ, since the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, the court has different options on how to serve the warrant,” she added.
The PCO official explained that the warrant could be coursed through the Office of the President, the DOJ, or the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if the country were still an ICC member.
However, she noted that it is up to the ICC whether they will still follow this procedure or serve the warrant through another country where the individual in question is located.
When asked about the government’s stance on cooperating with the ICC, Castro maintained that the policy remains unchanged: “We will coordinate with Interpol if the agency requests the government’s assistance.”