Reelectionist Sen. Imee Marcos has no power to bring back former president Rodrigo Duterte from The Hague, contrary to what Vice President Sara Duterte claimed in a Cebu sortie where she appealed for votes for the sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
STATEMENT
In an April 27 campaign rally in Carcar City, Cebu, the vice president lauded Imee for leading the Senate probe on the March 11 arrest and transfer of the older Duterte to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Netherlands, and for supporting them in bringing back her father.
The crowd then chanted, “Bring him home! Bring him home!,” to which the vice president responded by presenting the senator on stage, saying:
“Nasa iyo ang boto namin, Senator Imee Marcos, dahil ikaw ang magdadala sa kaniya (Rodrigo Duterte) pauwi galing sa The Hague, pabalik ng Pilipinas.
(Our vote is yours, Senator Imee Marcos because you will bring him home from The Hague, back to the Philippines.)”
Source: ANC 24/7 Youtube page, ‘She will bring Duterte back home’: VP Sara renews endorsement for Imee Marcos at Cebu sortie | ANC, April 27, 2025 (watch from 5:14 to 5:26)
FACT
As the former president is in the middle of a legal process, particularly the pre-trial stage, of the ICC, he cannot walk free unless the court approves his temporary release. A senator has no power to bring him back home from detention.
“For the interim release, it has to be presented to the judges and the judges will decide if that is possible,” said ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah in an interview on NewsWatch Plus dated March 25.
In April, Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman confirmed that a request for interim release is in the works.
During the former president’s initial appearance before the court last March 14, the judges set the confirmation of charges on Sept. 23 for allegations of crimes against humanity.
At this point, Duterte can only be free if the judges decide that there is insufficient evidence to proceed with the trial phase and reject subsequent appeals seeking to reverse the decision, if any — put simply, if the court closes the case.
BACKSTORY
In a March 17 statement on her Facebook page, Sen. Marcos wrote, “I am calling for an urgent investigation into the arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, an issue that has deeply divided the nation.”
Later, she formally announced that she was breaking away from the administration’s senatorial slate Alyansa. On April 14, Sen. Marcos and VP Duterte made their alliance official when they launched the political advertisement ITIM, cementing the vice president’s endorsement for the older sister of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
On April 30, the senator said the former president’s March 11 arrest was “illegal,” “politically motivated” and made possible through a “group effort” planned by her brother’s administration as early as May 2024. President Marcos has denied this.
