Province of The Hague or Fujian: Imee, Palace exchange snides over Duterte arrest

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Senate opened its hearing on the legality of the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by an international tribunal but not without side remarks between the presidential sister and Malacanang.

A known Duterte ally, Senator Imee Marcos, who is the foreign relations committee chairperson that held the meeting on Thursday, March 20, posed a question whether the Philippines has become a “province of The Hague” when it turned over Duterte to the former president to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In response, Palace Press Office spokesperson Claire Castro said in a press briefing the country is a sovereign state and would not be a province of any country, and singled out a province of Fujian, China, a veiled reference to the Dutertes’ closeness to the Chinese province.

“Sabi nila, batas ang dapat manaig. Tama. But whose law? Ours or theirs? Since when did the Philippines become a province of The Hague?” Marcos asked during the hearing.

[Translation: They say the law must prevail. That’s right. But whose law? Ours or theirs? Since when did the Philippines become a province of The Hague?]

She added that it is unacceptable that the government surrendered the former president to “foreigners.”

“Ganito ang nangyayari ngayon: Isinuko natin si Rodrigo Duterte sa dayuhan na para bang wala siyang sariling bayan,” she added.

[Translation: This is what’s happening now: We surrendered Rodrigo Duterte to foreigners as if he had no country of his own.]

Castro countered.

“Hindi po natin ninais na maging probinsya ng kahit anuman dahil po tayo ay isang independent country. Hindi po natin ninais na maging probinsiya din po ng Fujian, China. Never nating inisip iyan na maging probinsiya tayo ng anumang bansa,” she said, seemingly referring to Duterte’s close ties with China when he was president.

[Translation: We never intended to become a province of anything because we are an independent country. We also never intended to become a province of Fujian, China. We never thought of becoming a province of any country]

Castro maintained that there is nothing illegal about Duterte’s arrest, as he is facing charges of crimes against humanity.

No offense

Meanwhile, Castro said the Senate hearing was not an affront to the administration.

“Hindi po ito sampal sa pamahalaan, baka po it’s the other way around,” she said. [Translation: This is not a slap to the government, maybe it’s the other way around.]

She added that the government will not block efforts to clarify circumstances surrounding Duterte’s arrest.