Marcos admin vows to help arrested Duterte supporters in Qatar

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro. Screengrab from RTVM/FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday vowed to assist the Filipino ralliers who were arrested in Qatar for participating in an unauthorized political demonstration in support of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the pronouncement after the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 20 Filipinos were arrested in Qatar over the weekend.

READ: Gov’t extends aid to Duterte ralliers arrested in Qatar

According to Castro, the Philippine government immediately sent a Labor Attaché and a lawyer to assist the arrested Filipinos, and delivered care packages to them.

“It is still the obligation of our government, of the administration, to assist Filipinos, regardless of their background. We do not discriminate; there is no favoritism,” Castro said in Filipino in a Palace conference.

“As long as they are fellow Filipinos, the administration will help them,” she added.

The rally in Qatar was among the demonstrations held by Duterte supporters on March 28, Duterte’s birthday.

Duterte is currently detained at the ICC detention center in Scheveningen, The Hague after he was arrested for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s war against drugs.

READ: War on drugs: The violence, scars, doubts and families it left behind

The drug war left at least 6,000 people dead, but human rights groups reported at least 20,000 were killed.