Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea (seated left) in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte — Former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea appears to be spreading misinformation about former President Rodrigo Duterte’s medical condition and whereabouts.
This is the observation of Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin.
In an online press briefing on Friday, the lawmaker said a lot of people have been agitated after Medialdea claimed that Duterte was not being attended to medically by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Medialdea had also reportedly added that the ex-leader had been missing, the lawmaker recalled.
But Garin noted that her prior experience in working with the Dutch people showed that they are very meticulous and considerate when it comes to the health and welfare of people.
This behavior and character extend to persons who are in the ICC custody, the House member noted.
“Ang dami na kasing pekeng balita right and left eh,” Garin told reporters.
(There are a lot of fake news going around right and left eh.)
“Nagulat nga ako no’ng nakita ko ‘yung balita kahapon when the former executive secretary said na hindi binibigyan ng gamot, pagkain, mahinang-mahina na at kailangan dalhin sa hospital, at dine-deprive ng hospital services, at nawawala allegedly ang dating pangulo,” she said.
(I was shocked to hear yesterday that the former executive secretary said Duterte was not being given medicine, food; that he is weak and needs to be brought to the hospital; but was deprived of hospital services; and that the ex-president was missing.)
“Ako, personally, because I’ve worked with the Dutch government on many occasions […], alam ko that the ICC is a straight-forward institution,” Garin remembered.
(Personally, because I’ve worked with the Dutch government on many occasions […], I know that the ICC is a straight-forward institution.)
“So, kapag ganyan, very considerate sila lalo na kapag usapang kalusugan. So, andaming naniwala. Pero ako kasi na nakakaitindi, eh syempe nagtaka rin ako,” she said.
(So, in these situations, they are really very considerate especially with health matters. But many already believed [the misinformation]. But since I understand it, I also wondered.)
According to Garin, there may be two reasons why Medialdea resorted to misinformation:
Either the former executive secretary is just emotional after the recent arrest of Duterte and his transfer from Manila to the Hague in the Netherlands, where the ICC is based, or he is just trying to incite anger among the ex-president’s supporters.
“Alam mo ‘yon, the fake news that was mentioned by the former Executive Secretary Bingbong Medialdea, dalawa lang ‘yan,” she pointed out.
(You know, the fake news that was mentioned by the former Executive Secretary Bingbong Medialdea, they’re just two things.)
“Maybe hindi sya nakakapag-isip ng straight forward dahil nga siyempre, ‘yung emotion nya at siyempre, mahirap ding gumalaw na [ang] lawyer kapag ikaw hindi accredited sa ICC,” she explained.
(Maybe he can no longer think straight forward because emotions are running high and it’s also hard to move when you are not an ICC-accredited lawyer.)
“Ang pangalawa naman, ‘yun… (the second possible reason, that…) – it can also be intentional to ignite the emotions of the people,” she suspected.
INQUIRER.net sent a message to Medialdea who had just recently participated in the ICC’s pre-trial proceedings as Duterte’s legal counsel.
He has not aired his side of the story as of posting time.
Last Tuesday, after coming home from Hong Kong, Duterte was stopped from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
This came as local authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization in enforcing the ICC arrest order.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant in connection with the crimes against humanity raps filed against Duterte for his role in his administration’s war against illegal drugs.
READ: Rodrigo Duterte now under police custody
After questioning the arrest, Duterte eventually conceded and boarded a chartered plane from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
The aircraft left Manila for the Netherlands a few minutes after 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The plane landed in the Hague just minutes after Thursday midnight, Manila time.
The ICC is based in The Hague.
READ: Plane carrying Rodrigo Duterte leaves PH for The Hague
READ: Solon dismisses martial law fears amid protests over Duterte’s arrest