President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government was simply fulfilling its duty by cooperating with Interpol in the arrest of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
During a media briefing, Marcos Jr. dismissed claims of political bias, emphasizing that the government follows the law.
“Again, the government is just doing its job. Wala namang (personalan), it’s not because it’s one person or another that we do the things that we do,” the President said.
“Maybe noong mga nakaraan na mga administrasyon, baka ganoon ang ginagawa. Pero sa akin, hindi naman ganoon. Sumusunod tayo sa batas. We are a member of the community of nations,” he added.
Marcos Jr. noted that Duterte’s case had progressed since 2017, when he was still a private citizen. “Civilian pa ako noon, so this is the evolution of his case, and this is where we end up,” he also said.
Duterte and his family arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday morning from Hong Kong. He was immediately placed in government custody at Villamor Air Base.
By 11:03 p.m., he was escorted onto a private plane bound for The Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs.IMT
