Malacañang on Monday pushed back against the claims of lawyer Nicholas Kaufman that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is trying to “neutralize” the legacy of his client, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is undergoing pre-trial proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement released late evening, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro told Kaufman to “learn the facts” in laying down his argument instead of focusing on “political rhetoric.”
“Kaufman has the temerity to accuse President Marcos of trying to neutralize Duterte’s legacy. That is preposterous. He seems to be the one suffering from severe cognitive impairment and not his client,” Castro said.
The Palace Press Officer said Kaufman appears to be forgetting the timeline of events in the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte, which were filed by the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings before the ICC in 2017 when “President Marcos was still a private citizen.”
“Kaufman does not offer a clear defense for his client’s alleged extrajudicial killings, which reportedly happened during Duterte’s time as mayor. In addition, one of the counsels, Silvestre Bello III, admitted that Duterte killed someone by throwing him out of a helicopter,” Castro argued.
“He (Kaufman) should learn the facts of his case rather than focus on political rhetoric,” she added.
At the opening of the confirmation of charges hearing against the former president, Kaufman painted Duterte as a “unique phenomenon” whose lack of political correctness, exaggerated behavior, and disrespect for human rights were just misunderstood by his opponents and non-believers.
Duterte is facing three counts of crimes against humanity charges linked to his ‘war on drugs,’ which allegedly killed thousands, including children and innocent civilians.
