Palace Dismisses VP Sara's ICC Claims, Says 'Baseless'

Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro on Thursday slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for saying that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) and vice versa, amid the detention of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, for charges of crimes against humanity. In a Palace briefing, Castro described Duterte’s claims as “useless, baseless, and nonsense.” “Maaaring ito ay kanyang nasasabi out of frustration dahil ang kanyang ama ngayon ay nililitis sa ICC,” Castro said. “Tandaan din po natin, uulit-ulitin natin, ang kaso na naisampa kay dating pangulo Duterte ay noong taon pang 2017. Habang ang Pangulo, si Pangulo Marcos Jr. noon, ay isang ordinaryo at pribadong mamamayan lang,” she added. The Palace official thus stressed that Rodrigo Duterte’s detention in the ICC was not Marcos’ fault. “Hindi ito kasalanan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. Tumutupad lang ang Pangulo sa batas. Kung meron dapat sisihin, walang iba kundi ang kanyang (Sara) sariling ama dahil sa mga pag-amin nito na siya mismo ay pumatay at nagpapatay kasama ang ibang mga co-perpetrators,” Castro said. She also maintained that the ICC is an impartial court, which could not be swayed by influence nor can be intimidated by threats of harm or any form of violence. In an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, VP Sara renewed her call for the immediate release of her father from detention at the ICC. She said the continued detention of the former president is unjust and is politically motivated. The Vice President also accused Marcos of backing the proceedings before the international tribunal. “Marcos supporting ICC. ICC supporting Marcos," she claimed. She also called Marcos and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV “traitors” over the ICC case. Asked if Marcos’ position on the calls for the Philippines to rejoin the ICC has changed, Castro said there are no updates on the matter. “Sa ngayon ay wala pa ring anumang update. Katulad pa rin ang aking sinabi, sa ngayon ay wala pa pong napag-uusapan kung kinakailangan nang mag-rejoin sa ICC,” she said. Malacañang has repeatedly said that Marcos is not inclined to have the Philippines rejoin the ICC despite the appeals of some opposition lawmakers for the country to do so. The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute that created the ICC in March 2018 upon Rodrigo Duterte’s orders. The withdrawal took effect a year later. He was later arrested six years later in March 2025 on orders of the ICC for his alleged crimes against humanity in his war on illegal drugs. The former president’s arrest sparked calls for the Philippines to rejoin the Rome Statute. In June 2025, Castro said Marcos was open to talks on this but said the possibility of returning to the ICC had not been discussed at the time.—LDF, GMA News