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NewsTranscript
00:00Let's update the supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the Villamor Air Base.
00:05We are joined live by James Agustin.
00:07James?
00:13It's 11.03 p.m. right now in Makalipadyo Aeroplano.
00:16Former President Rodrigo Duterte is flying from here in the Villamor Air Base.
00:21And here outside, in Gate 5, the supporters of the former President are staying.
00:26They are continuing their program here.
00:29And earlier, while the plane was taxiing on the runway where the former President was flying,
00:35the supporters were running.
00:38My fellow countrymen, right now, President Bongbong Marcos is giving a speech.
00:42We will return to James Agustin.
00:44Let's listen to President Marcos.
00:46Rodrigo Roa Duterte took off at 11.03 p.m. this evening
00:53and exited Philippine airspace.
00:56The plane is en route to The Hague in the Netherlands,
01:01allowing the former President to face charges of crimes against humanity
01:07in relation to his bloody war on drugs.
01:11The former President was earlier placed in government custody at Villamor Air Base
01:18after he, his common-law wife, Hanilet Avancena, and members of his entourage
01:26arrived at 9.20 this morning from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight number CX907.
01:35Mr. Duterte was arrested in compliance with our commitments to Interpol.
01:43Hours before his arrival, Interpol Manila received an official copy of the ICC warrant.
01:51This prompted the Prosecutor General of the Department of Justice to serve the warrant.
01:59Interpol asked for help, and we obliged because we have commitments to the Interpol
02:06which we have to fulfill.
02:08If we don't do that, they will no longer help us with other cases involving Filipino fugitives abroad.
02:18This is what the international community expects of us
02:23as the leader of a democratic country that is part of the community of nations.
02:32So I'm sure that the details that surround what has happened today are familiar to you.
02:43I just wanted to make very, very clear and give you the facts
02:50for the departure of former President Duterte from the Philippines.
03:02Thank you very much, Mr. President.
03:04Earlier, members of the Malacanang Press Corps asked questions, and we will answer them.
03:10Question number one.
03:11Mr. President, do you have a physical copy of the warrant of arrest
03:16against former President Rodrigo Duterte from the ICC?
03:20Yes, I do.
03:22This came in.
03:26Actually, it came in.
03:28I received it from Secretary Remulian.
03:33I received it at 3 a.m. last night, and I looked at it, and we went back and forth.
03:436.30, he wrote me again, and he said,
03:47We have it already. We have the warrant of arrest from Interpol.
03:52And I said, Okay, we'll put all our plans into place, and let's proceed as we had discussed.
04:00Now, that's what happened.
04:02So, yes, there is a very clear document that will explain when the how on the
04:14Sorry, that will explain the basis on how we conducted this arrest of former President Duterte.
04:24Sir, is it okay if we give them copies of the arrest warrant, photocopies of the arrest warrant?
04:29Would that be possible?
04:31Do we have limitations or not?
04:33We have limitations, but we can
04:35We have here the SILG who has been, of course, part and parcel of the entire operation.
04:41We will provide the PCO with a digital copy.
04:45It has been attested by the Secretary of Justice and the Department of Justice as a lawful and legal warrant.
04:52We will publish it after this press conference, and you can use it as reference.
04:58It's very simple.
05:01It's a request to the Philippine government from Interpol to enforce the arrest warrant.
05:13And, of course, we comply with our commitments to Interpol.
05:21We did not do this because it was derived from or it came from ICC.
05:28We did this because Interpol asked us to do it.
05:32And we have commitments to them, and we lived up to those commitments.
05:38Thank you, sir.
05:39Second question, sir.
05:40Mr. President, the PRRD said that this arrest was an unlawful arrest.
05:49Well, we followed every single necessary procedure.
05:56We followed the very good basis on which to serve that warrant and to redeem his rights.
06:05We followed all the legal procedures that are necessary.
06:09So I'm confident that if in further examination, you will find that it is proper and correct.
06:20Sir, third question from the MPC.
06:23Mr. President, is this a violation of our sovereignty, this arrest of former President Duterte?
06:30No.
06:33Why?
06:35Because we are consistent.
06:41We do not help in the investigation of ICC.
06:45We have no contact with them, naturally.
06:51But not on an official level, we didn't help them in any way.
06:58The arrest that we did today was in compliance with our commitments to Interpol.
07:09It just so happened that that came from ICC.
07:14But it's not because it came from ICC.
07:16It's because it came from Interpol.
07:22Fourth question.
07:23Mr. President, they say that this is just a political persecution and that there is also a connection to the 2028 elections.
07:33Okay.
07:34Well, I'm sure they will say that.
07:41But this case started in 2017 when we were still members of the ICC.
07:51And it was during the time of former President Duterte.
07:57So I don't see how that can be political persecution on my part.
08:05Because it was initiated before I even came into the picture.
08:13So that would seem.
08:17But once again, we have to recognize that, of course, it's natural for people to put
08:24the color of politics.
08:27But we just followed Interpol.
08:31We didn't talk to the ICC.
08:36They asked us for a lot of documents.
08:39We were not given anything.
08:41That's all.
08:43We can't ignore Interpol.
08:46When they told us, help us, we need to get this person.
08:53Because, if you remember, all the people who fled here in the Philippines,
08:59like Alice Goh, like Arnie Tevez, and others,
09:04even the human trafficking in Myanmar,
09:08and many others,
09:10who helped us to see our fellow countrymen being abused and used in a bad way?
09:21That's Interpol.
09:23That's why we should help each other.
09:30That's why we did that.
09:33Thank you very much, Mr. President, for your clarification.
09:38Do you want to ask another question?
09:41All right, sure.
09:43Sir, there are calls for people's power.
09:45There are, in fact, as we speak, protest actions ongoing.
09:49Would you like to address this point?
10:19The arrest warrant came from Interpol.
10:24And because our country has a commitment to Interpol,
10:29it has nothing else to do but to fulfill the request of Interpol.
10:35As President Bongbong Marcos said,
10:37we have been helped by Interpol several times,
10:40so it is only right that we fulfill our commitment to Interpol.
10:45President Bongbong Marcos also said that our government has followed all the necessary legal procedures
10:52to fulfill the arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
10:58And President Bongbong Marcos himself confirmed that the Lulan Airplane,
11:04former President Duterte,
11:06will go to The Hague, Netherlands,
11:09where former President Rodrigo Duterte will face the charges of crimes against humanity.
11:19President Bongbong Marcos also said that this is not a case of political persecution.
11:25He also said that this started back in 2017, before he became President.
11:31And the case started when former President Rodrigo Duterte was still in office.