Sen. Imee Marcos, Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Ambassador Markus Lacanilao and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. Photo: Senate of the Philippines / Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – Despite the entire Philippines having witnessed the non-accordance of local court access to former President Rodrigo Duterte during his arrest, Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Ambassador Markus Lacanilao, the Palace official who turned over the former leader to the International Criminal Court (ICC), repeatedly said he did not know about it.
His answers forced the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos to cite him in contempt on Thursday (April 10) for supposedly “lying” about the facts of the case.
What happened?
Lacanilao was on board the chartered plane that brought the former president to the ICC headquarters at The Hague, Netherlands. According to him, his role was to oversee the entire process and that he only volunteered to accompany Duterte because no other member of the Interpol National Central Bureau Manila (NCB) had their passports with them on that very tense night of the arrest.
Senators then noted that his answers on the ICC turnover form were conflicting with the facts that happened.
Particularly on the item that asked for the date, time and location of the appearance of the arrested person before a competent national judicial authority, Lacanilao wrote “do not know.”
Tensions rose when Marcos and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa started grilling Lacanilao for saying so.
Bringing an ICC warrant subject to a local judge is a requisite of the Rome Statute under Article 59. However, the provision no longer applies to the Philippines since the country’s withdrawal in 2019 – an argument upheld by the Duterte camp.
Clips released online showed that Duterte was never brought out of Villamor to seek local courts despite his camp’s pleadings to arresting authorities, and shortly after, flown out of the country.
This puzzled Marcos and Dela Rosa why, despite being there to oversee, Lacanilao never knew that the former president never had a day in a local court.
“Very clear ‘yung sagot mo dito eh, ‘do not know.’ Hindi mo alam na hindi siya dinala sa judicial authority? Alam mo ba na dinala siya sa korte o hindi? RTC Pasay o RTC Paranaque.” Dela Rosa asked.
“Eh magkasama kayo hindi ba? Ikaw nga naghatid eh,” Marcos seconded.
Lacanilao maintained his “hindi ko po alam” answer throughout and kept reverting to the Department of Justice (DOJ) certification that he received late supposedly explaining why he did not know exactly everything that happened or didn’t happen.
Marcos slammed the excuse and told Lacanilao that he did not need any DOJ certification to know what happened because he was on the ground but the Special envoy still did not change tune.
“You still don’t know despite the operation of the Interpol and the entire government of the Philippine Republic, tama?” Marcos asked.
Dela Rosa then deliberately dismissed him as “lying.”
Contempt order, Remulla intervenes
Pissed Dela Rosa then moved to cite Lacanilao in contempt after finding his answers “very misleading.
The president’s sister affirmed the motion.
“There is [a] motion to cite you in contempt. I have to affirm there being no contrary motion,” Marcos said.
Marcos kept pressing the question why the government was in a rush in flying the former president out and delivering him to The Hague despite blatant legal and medical factors favoring the ex-state chief.
“Lahat tayo hindi alam ang dahilan kung bakit nung araw na ‘yun kailangan talagang isakay at dalhin sa The Hague kahit may sakit, kahit may karapatang pumunta sa husgadong Pilipino, kahit hindi pa nakikita ang pamilya, ang doktor, ang abogadong pili,” Marcos said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla tried to request for the committee to overturn the contempt order but the senators did not grant his request.
Barely hours into his detention, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered his release and reminded the lady senator not to use the Senate for “personal political objectives.”
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Republika News 
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