Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday called for a full investigation into the sworn statements of 18 former Marines who claimed they acted as alleged bagmen of resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, saying the testimony “proved” initial information that the government had been coordinating with the International Criminal Court.
Duterte said the statements should not be dismissed as politicking and must be examined because they involve the “main principles of our national sovereignty.”
“These information should not be sidelined nor be dismissed,” she said.
She disclosed that she had written a letter to President Bongbong Marcos seeking clarification and an “on-record” position of the administration regarding the ICC’s investigation into the crimes against humanity case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte over the war on drugs.
Duterte said the president had told her that the administration “will not cooperate in any way, shape or form” with the ICC. She described the statement as a recognition that the steps undertaken by the international tribunal amount to a “violation to the sovereignty of the Philippines.”
“Now, the testimony of the former security personnel of Zaldy Co only proves my earlier warnings to former President Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa about the presence of the ICC in the Philippines until the kidnapping of my father,” Duterte said in a mix of Filipino and English.
She rejected framing the matter as a personality clash.
“This is not just some conflict between personalities. This is mainly about the principles of our national sovereignty and the limitations of foreign institutions intruding on our domestic affairs,” she said.
“Sovereignty is not a principle to be invoked when convenient and abandoned when expedient. Sovereignty should not depend on who benefits and should not shift with political winds,” she added.
The affidavit, now transmitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, claimed that dozens of lawmakers and government officials received money contained in luggage from Co. It was first disclosed at a press conference attended by the 18 individuals and their lawyer, Levito D. Baligod.
The Philippine Navy said that four of the 18 individuals were never part of the Marine Corps, while “most” of them were dishonorably discharged from service.
