(April 3, 2025) – Only the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have the authority to decide whether the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte was lawful, an official of the tribunal stressed on Wednesday.
ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah made the statement amid petitions filed by Duterte’s camp before the Supreme Court in the Philippines, which questioned the legality of the former leader’s detention in the Hague, Netherlands.
“The surrender of Mr. Duterte to the ICC was the decision of the Philippines’ authorities, and if there is any question about whether it was lawful or not, it would have to be submitted to the judges,” said El Abdallah, as quoted in a report from Philstar.com.
Duterte was arrested on March 11 after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued a diffusion notice, alerting the Philippines about the ICC’s arrest warrant. Duterte, who repeatedly dared the ICC to get him, was accused of crimes against humanity over his deadly war on drugs.
The government has maintained the legality of its actions, saying it merely complied with its obligations as a member of Interpol.
El Abdallah stated that even countries that are not members of the ICC can choose to cooperate with the tribunal.
He also stressed that Duterte remains presumed innocent while detained by the ICC.
“We believe that truth has to be revealed, and there is a process for that which is, in our instance, the international level process,” added El Abdallah.
Duterte is facing charges for at least 43 killings linked to his brutal war on drugs. El Abdallah pointed out that proving crimes against humanity does not depend on the number of deaths, refuting the remark of Duterte’s daughter, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“It’s not a matter of numbers. The nature of the attack, whether it’s widespread or systematic, is an important element to qualify an illegal conduct as a crime against humanity,” said El Abdallah.
Duterte’s confirmation of charges is set for September 23.
(PM)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.