THE Malacañang has allowed several Cabinet members and government officials to attend the next Senate hearing into the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Monday, April 7, 2025.
In a press conference, Castro said that those given the go-ahead to attend the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ investigation, led by Senator Imee Marcos, included Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, Chief State Counsel Dennis Chan, Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) Executive Director Anthony Alcantara, Philippine National Police Chief General Rommel Marbil, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Major General Nicholas Torre, and Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, among others.
Castro said the office of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin came up with the decision with respect to the request of Senate President Francis Escudero.
“Provided of course na ito ay hindi naman tatalakay sa executive privilege ng mga opisyal,” Castro said, noting that the Cabinet members may still invoke their executive privilege.
In the panel’s second hearing last week, Cabinet officials were no show.
In a letter addressed to Escudero and Marcos, Bersamin then said the participation of concerned Cabinet officials in “future hearings” related to the topic may no longer be necessary since they already “dutifully attended the same, sincerely answered all the questions to the best of their knowledge and candidly provided all information elicited by the Senate committee members.”
In response, Marcos said that while they recognize the doctrine of executive privilege, it cannot be used as a “blanket shield” to avoid such proceedings, which are being conducted in aid of legislation.
She said the administration is using the doctrine of executive privilege as a cover-up for the irregularities surrounding FPRRD's arrest on March 11, based on the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid its investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity in the country during the implementation of his drug war.
FPRRD was immediately transported to the Hague in the Netherlands via a private jet rented by the national government.
The Senate probe aims to clarify the involvement and roles of the ICC, the International Criminal Police Organization, and various government agencies in Duterte's arrest, as well as to examine the measures taken to ensure that FPRRD's rights under domestic laws and relevant treaties were properly protected throughout the process.
Marcos earlier cited various "glaring violations" of FPRRD's rights during his arrest and transfer to the ICC, particularly the violation of guaranteeing a person’s liberty and due process, considering that the arrest was made without a warrant issued by a Philippine court and did not fall within the exceptions to a warrantless arrest. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)