Atty. Joel Butuyan, ICC-Accredited Lawyer, Speaks on Arrest of Former Pres. Duterte
ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan claimed that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte received special treatment during his arrest.
The arrest of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is surrounded by several issues. Presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos even lodged an investigation on the arrest of Duterte. There are claims and speculations that the arrest did not follow a legal procedure. There were also questions about the presence of an arrest warrant.
At the height of the unexpected turn of events last March 11, Duterte’s daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte claimed that her father is under an alleged “illegal detention” as there was supposedly no warrant of arrest against the former President. Prior to it, the Philippine Communications Office (PCO) said that Manila Interpol received a copy of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was flown to Dubai en route for the Netherlands on the eve of the day he was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP). He just arrived from Hong Kong when the arrest was implemented. The ICC welcomed the arrest of former Pres. Duterte.
However, there are still questions about the presence of an arrest warrant against former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Recently, an ICC-accredited lawyer, Joel Butuyan, refuted the claims that the authorities allegedly implemented a “warrantless” arrest against the former President.
“Mayroon po ng warrant of arrest and it was issued by an international court na naging miyembro tayo. Hindi po totoong warrantless arrest ito, dahil talagang mayroong warrant covering the arrest of the former President,” he said.
Based on the report, the ICC-accredited Lawyer stressed that the Philippine government has two (2) legal basis, the Republic Act No. 9851 and the Rome Statute Article 59, in the implementation of the ICC arrest warrant against Duterte. Under the Article 59, the law mandates the verification of the identity of the accused and ensuring their rights are upheld.
“Anong nangyari sa pag-aresto kay former President Duterte? Binasahan siya ng Miranda rights niya. So, that’s pursuant to our domestic law on arrest and then mayroon siyang abogado doon, hindi lang isa, dalawa,” Butuyan said.
Based on the report, the ICC-accredited lawyer stressed that former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte allegedly received a lot of privileges and special treatment compared with ordinary suspects.
“Sobrang nakakalamang si former President Duterte… Ang daming privileges that were extended to him over and beyond what is required by law. So, sa substance po, walang na-violate and valid iyong implementation ng warrant of arrest,” he said.
Amid the outcry of the Duterte supporters, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte told the Filipinos to move on as former Pres. Duterte could not be brought home to the Philippines. She stressed that there is no point in staying angry as the government will allegedly not hold the ones behind the arrest responsible.