NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER ATTENDS HEARING: National Security Adviser Eduardo Año attends the motu proprio hearing Thursday, March 20, 2025 conducted by the Committee on Foreign Relations on the supposed involvement of the different government agencies in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Thursday said he had developed a close friendship with former President Rodrigo Duterte, but emphasized that his loyalty lies with the country, “not to any person.”
Año made this statement during the Senate investigation into the serving of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Duterte, clarifying that it is not part of his mandate as National Security Council chief.
“I’ve worked closely with former President Duterte for so many years, to the most serious crisis the country faced, and what developed and nurtured [was] a personal friendship,” he said.
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“He trusted and respected me in the same way I trusted and respected him, even after our terms ended in 2022,” he said.
‘Very hard to see’
However, Año said “my loyalty is always to the country to the constitution, and not to any person.”
“I never played politics. I do not have a political agenda nor do I have or will I ever have political ambitions,” he pointed out.
Año served as the military chief and later as interior secretary under the Duterte administration.
“As a former member of the Cabinet of the Duterte administration, it is also very hard for me to see the former president arrested,” he said.
No ‘grand conspiracy’, ‘core group’
Año also denied that he was part of a “grand conspiracy” that hatched the plan of Duterte’s arrest nor that there is a “core group” planning such.
“May I also state for the record that I am not aware of any core group nor am I a member of such [a] group that allegedly planned and prepared for the arrest of former President Duterte,” Año said.
“It is utterly unacceptable and unfair that my name is being dragged into an alleged grand conspiracy,” he said. “I fully deny any allegations of a grand conspiracy.”
“In fact it was only on Tuesday morning, March 11, 2025 that I learned that there was already an Interpol red notice and that the ICC warrant of arrest will be served,” Año stressed. “In fact, the events on March 11 is spontaneous.”
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Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, March 11, and detained at Villamor Air Base later that day.
By March 12, he had arrived in The Hague, where he remains in custody.
The former president had his pretrial hearing on March 14, while his confirmation of charges is scheduled for September 23. He He may appeal for an interim release before that date.
The war against illegal drugs that took place during Duterte’s presidential term claimed at least 6,000 lives, according to official government data.
Human rights watchdogs and the International Criminal Court prosecutor estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.
They said several of these incidents were extrajudicial killings.