Sen. Imee Marcos. Photo: Senate of the Philippines 

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Imee Marcos said officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrived in the Philippines in October 2024 and conducted a probe on personalities linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. 

On the second hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday (April 3), chairperson Marcos bared identities, dates of arrivals and activities of the said ICC officials disproving the government’s claim that no investigation was ever done or could ever be done in the Philippines by the foreign tribunal. 

Citing information from the Bureau of Immigration, Marcos disclosed that a team of ICC officials composed of an investigator, an interpreter and two protection experts arrived in the country on different dates in October last year. 

As follows, the names and their arrival dates are: 

1. Glenn Roderick Thomas Kala – Investigator (October 24) 
2. Maya Destura Brackeen – Interpreter (October 4) 
3. William Rosato – Protection Expert (October 15) 
4. Amir John Kassam – Protection Expert (October 20)

Information on yet another lawyer named Robin Croft and another team of three also reached the senator but was unable to get their names. 

“Maliwanag na merong mga dumating na ICC at nagpakilala bilang tauhan talaga ng ICC na may kanya-kanyang specialidad. May protection expert, may imbestigador, may interpreter, may abugado, klaro po ‘yun,” she said. 

Further proving the suspected communication and coordination of the ICC and the Philippine government is the latter’s supposed assistance to the foreign officials on their request for protection and transport. 

“So maliwanag na ang Pilipinas ay tumulong at talagang nagpakita ng partisipasyon,” she said. 

Marcos also revealed that the plan to arrest Duterte was hatched as early as May 2024 contrary to the entire government’s claim that they only knew of the arrest on the early morning of March 11. 

According to the senator, the Department of Justice launched a “briefer” May of last year regarding the “potential arrest of Duterte” and the plan to rejoin the ICC. 

ICC Agenda exactly reflected in Duterte arrest warrant 

The re-electionist lawmaker also said she obtained information that the ICC personnel had a specific agenda and the information they needed were sourced from the administration. 

The items they needed were the following: 

1. June 2016-2019 bank accounts of a certain Peter Parungo. 
2. Blotter reports, seized evidence, radio transmissions of Police Station 6 of Batasan Hills, Quezon City
3. Record of police tactical operations
4. East Avenue Medical Center record of dead on arrivals from June 2016-2017
5. Post-mortem autopsy reports

Even in their absence, the senator questioned their reason for denying such recorded correspondence. 

“Bakit nila ipagkakaila ito samantalang fully recorded naman ito,” she said. 

All of these details, according to the senator, were exactly what was reflected on the arrest warrant of the former president. 

“Itong agenda na sinasabing hiningi, siya ring lumitaw sa application for warrant ng ICC Prosecutor,” she said. 

“Sa madaling sabi ang kaso sa ICC ay base sa ebidensyang ibinigay ng pamahalaan ng Pilipinas,” she said. 

Operation Pursuit  

The committee chair also highlighted Criminal Investigation and Detention Group Director General Nicolas Torre III himself admitted in an interview that the plan to arrest Duterte has been in the works since January 2025. 

This, according to Torre, was upon the instruction of Police Chief General Romeo Marbil. 

The lawmaker recalled seeing Torre in possession of an 80-page document supposedly containing information on the former president’s properties, his partner’s and even his allies’. She also mentioned that arrows were drawn in streets where the police can access the properties. 

“Obviously this Operation pursuit was concocted weeks if not months before March 11,” she said. 

“Ang liwa-liwanag na meron talagang extensive and exhaustive plan, 80 pages. The administration was already anticipating the application for a warrant of arrest and the issuance thereof,” she said. 

To further highlight the alleged communication with the ICC, the senator mentioned that some Department of Justice officials as well as some high-placed officials from other departments of government have already visited The Hague and “perhaps even met the president of the ICC in Japan.” 

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