Sen. Imee Marcos during one of the Senate hearings. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Some alleged personnel of the International Criminal Court (ICC) assisting the investigator probing the Duterte administration’s drug war arrived in the Philippines in October 2024, according to Sen. Imee Marcos.
Citing information from the Bureau of Immigration, Marcos disclosed that an ICC interpreter, protection expert, investigator, and lawyer arrived in the country between October 4 and 24.
Below are the names of the alleged ICC personnel whom Marcos mentioned during the Senate committee on foreign relations’ Thursday hearing on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte:
- Glenn Roderick Thomas Kala – Investigator
- Maya Destura Brackeen – Interpreter
- William Rosato – Protection Expert
- Amir John Kassam – Protection Expert
Marcos also claimed that the Department of Justice launched a “briefer” as early as May 2024 regarding the “potential arrest of Duterte” and the country’s possible plan to rejoin the ICC.
“It was stated that we are aware of the policy not allowing the ICC to enter, but the possibility of changes is what’s concerning here. This has been planned since May, and even the Secretary of Justice mentioned that foreigners come and go in the Philippines—hundreds of thousands enter, seemingly without us knowing,” she said in Filipino.
“However, our Bureau of Immigration (BI) recognizes some ICC personnel who have clearly entered the country. First and foremost, it is clear that Maya Destura Brackeen arrived on October 4, 2024, coming from the US, and she serves as an interpreter for the ICC. That is undeniable,” she added.
Marcos also said Rosato arrived on October 15, Kassam on October 20, and Kala on October 24.
According to the senator, a team of three was scheduled to arrive on October 19, 2024 but she did not get their names.
INQUIRER.net sought the BI’s side regarding the information released by Marcos, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.
Last March 11, Duterte was served an arrest warrant from the ICC over the alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s drug war.
Duterte is currently detained in a facility in The Hague, Netherlands. He attended his pre-trial hearing at the ICC via video call last March 14.
Based on reports, the war on drugs left at least 6,000 people dead; however, human rights groups reported that the number may have reached 20,000.