International Criminal Court (left) and Former President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photos from the ICC and official Facebook page of Rody Duterte)
MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration is not threatened by any possible attempts to create scenarios similar to People Power in support of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a radio interview, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was asked whether or not the administration is concerned about the supposed gathering of Duterte supporters condemning his arrest.
“Hindi po nate-threaten ang administrasyon patungkol po doon,” she said over a Radyo 630 interview.
(The administration is not threatened by that.)
“Handa naman pong umaksyon ang administrasyon. Pero as of the moment, wala pong kinakikitaan na ano mang gulo na maaaring mangyari,” she added.
(The administration is ready to take action. But as of the moment, there are no signs of any trouble that may arise.)
READ: PNP `ready’ for people power calls vs Duterte arrest
Meanwhile, in a Palace briefing on Thursday, Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said they are prepared for possible protests in support of Duterte.
“The PNP always maintains our proactive measures, and if there are those who express their thoughts on these events, that is their right,” Fajardo noted.
“That is what we call their freedom of expression. But not all freedoms are absolute,” she explained.
Duterte was arrested on Tuesday morning based on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for alleged crimes against humanity.
The charges were based on the alleged extrajudicial killings that occurred during his administration’s war on illegal drugs.
Duterte is scheduled to make his first appearance before the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday at the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the criminal court’s complex.