Sara Duterte decries ‘warrantless arrest’ of father at Senate probe
Vice President Sara Duterte INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte made a virtual appearance before the Senate panel on foreign affairs on Thursday, decrying the alleged “warrantless arrest” of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
During the hearing on the ex-President Duterte’s arrest, the Vice President claimed that her father was forcibly taken by the Philippine National Police upon his arrival in Manila from HongKong.
She said all these happened because of a warrant “allegedly issued by the International Criminal Court.”
READ: Senate starts probe of Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest
“This was patently an illegal arrest which constitutes extraordinary rendition. A Filipino citizen, a former President, was taken into custody without a valid warrant issued by a Philippine court — without due process and without any legal basis under our laws,” she said.
“For an arrest to be lawful, it must be carried out pursuant to a warrant issued by a Filipino judge of a Philippine court. Nasaan po ang warrant of arrest na inissue ng hukuman ng Pilipinas? Wala,” she added.
The Vice President argued that without a valid warrant from a Philippine court, what transpired to her father was a warrantless arrest.
READ: Marcos Cabinet met to address, not plan, Duterte’s arrest – Remulla
According to her, even by ICC standards, her father should have been brought “before a Philippine judge to determine the validity of arrest before he was handed over to a foreign court.”
“What happened on March 11, 2025 is not just about one man. It is about all of us, it’s about the country. If a former president can be taken without due process, what stops them from doing the same to any Filipino?” she asked.
“We have now lost a former president. I pray that we do not lose the country next,” she added.
Former President Duterte was served an arrest warrant from the ICC upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong on March 11.
The arrest warrant was issued on the grounds of alleged crimes against humanity he committed for the anti-drug campaign he orchestrated when he was still in power.
