Vice President Sara Duterte emphasized the importance of national sovereignty as she expressed alarm over alleged coordination between certain Philippine officials and investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During the latest ICC hearing in The Hague, defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, representing former President Rodrigo Duterte, claimed that his team possesses a transcript of a secretly recorded phone call. The conversation allegedly featured someone boasting about acting as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “silent partner” for influencing ICC witnesses.
Kaufman said the purported call involved multiple individuals, and one participant allegedly bragged about managing a scheme to “funnel witnesses to this court” while ensuring “plausible deniability” for Marcos. He made these remarks during a confirmation of charges hearing in Duterte’s ongoing case at the ICC.
In a public statement, the vice president framed the issue as bigger than politics, warning that any foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs directly undermines Philippine independence and reputation.
She noted that reports of alleged engagement between some Philippine officials and ICC investigators have been circulating for some time.
To clarify the administration’s stance, she said she formally wrote to Marcos in 2023.
According to the vice president, the President responded: “We will not cooperate in any way, shape, or form,” which she described as a clear acknowledgment that ICC actions are considered an affront to Philippine sovereignty.
The vice president added that recent testimonies from former security personnel further reinforced her earlier warnings to the former president and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa regarding the alleged presence of ICC investigators in the country, including incidents she linked to the reported kidnapping of her father.
“Ngayon, ang mga testimonya ng mga dating security personnel ni Zaldy Co ay lalo pang nagpapatibay sa mga nauna ko nang babala kay Dating Pangulong Duterte at Senador Bato dela Rosa tungkol sa presensya ng ICC sa loob ng Pilipinas, hanggang sa mga pangyayaring may kaugnayan sa pag-kidnap sa aking ama. Ang mga impormasyong ito ay hindi maaaring isantabi o ipagwalang-bahala,” she said.
Emphasizing the broader implications, she stressed that the matter should not be reduced to a political dispute.
“Ang usaping ito ay hindi usaping pampulitika. Hindi ito simpleng alitan ng mga personalidad. Ito ay tungkol sa pangunahing prinsipyo ng ating pambansang soberanya at sa limitasyon ng panghihimasok ng mga dayuhang institusyon sa domestic affairs ng ating bansa,” 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. When we weaken the principle of sovereignty, we do not only affect one leader or one family. We affect the dignity of our country and the trust of our people in the institutions meant to protect them,” the vice president added.
She also commended the18 individuals, 14 former members of the Philippine Marine Corps. and four reservists, all former security personnel of Zaldy Co, who recently came forward with information alleging that they “delivered” billions of pesos in cash to the residences of Marcos and former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez.
“Hanga ako sa tapang ng mga dating security personnel ni Zaldy Co na naglakas-loob magsalita batay sa kanilang personal na kaalaman tungkol sa mga usaping matagal ko nang nalalaman. Hindi pangkaraniwan ang kanilang ginawa dahil posibleng buhay nila ang kapalit sa paglabas ng katotohanan,” she said.
