National Security Adviser Eduardo Año denied knowledge of the existence or participation in an alleged “conspiracy” leading to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his subsequent surrender by the government to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During yesterday’s Senate committee on foreign relations hearing, Año acknowledged the personal difficulty of seeing the former president arrested,
given his role as a cabinet member during the Duterte administration.
However, he clarified that as the current national security adviser under the incumbent Marcos administration, his role is solely to ensure that the situation did not escalate into a national security issue.
“The implementation of the ICC warrant is beyond my mandate and I have no part in it. And may I also state for the record that I am not aware of any core group, nor am I a member of such a group that allegedly planned and prepared for the arrest of former President Duterte,” Año said.
“It is utterly unacceptable and unfair that my name is being dragged into an alleged grand conspiracy. I firmly deny any allegations of a grand conspiracy. In fact, the events on March 11 were spontaneous,” he added.
Año, who previously served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and later as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government under the Duterte administration, stated that he has never engaged in politics nor harbors any political ambitions.
For his part, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is also wanted by the ICC for his role in Duterte’s drug war, admitted to harboring ill feelings toward Año.
Dela Rosa said that “out of courtesy,” Año could have at least informed Duterte’s team, who was then in Hong Kong, that the former president would get arrested once he returned to the Philippines.
The senator also said that he had heard rumors of an alleged “traitor” in the group who was with Duterte in Hong Kong but denied knowing who the person was.
“I also heard something like that but I cannot confirm nor deny because I don’t know who the person who was alluded to. I have no idea. But there are rumors like that,” Dela Rosa told reporters.
Meanwhile, lawyer Josa Deinla of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) has outlined significant legal and political challenges in prosecuting former Philippine leaders with cases before the ICC.
In an interview with DZUP, Deinla noted that while the arrest of former Duterte has been legally addressed, difficulties remain in apprehending other individuals implicated in ICC cases, such as Senator Dela Rosa.
She emphasized that enforcing arrest warrants is particularly challenging for sitting officials, like Dela Rosa, who enjoys political influence and protection.
“That’s why we have an impunity in our country because those who are sitting, those who are in power, they are not willing to prosecute or pass under the domestic accountability mechanisms, the former officials who committed heinous crimes against human rights,” Deinla explained.