Pres. BBM to decide on ICC arrest warrants for Filipinos

President Ferdinand "BBM" Marcos Jr. holds the ultimate authority on whether the Philippine government will enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against any Filipino citizen, including former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified that President Marcos will decide whether to honor requests from the ICC, potentially transmitted through Interpol, following reports of an ICC arrest warrant for Duterte related to alleged killings during his administration's anti-drug war.

DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV mentioned that the President has been briefed on the advantages and disadvantages of different courses of action regarding such warrants.

Clavano emphasized that the final decision rests with President Marcos, who will determine what is most beneficial for the Philippines.

The Philippine government, through its National Central Bureau (NCB), is prepared to process any potential Interpol red notice that might be issued in connection with an ICC arrest warrant, although no such notice has been received.

Interpol's red notice is described as a request to global law enforcement to find and provisionally arrest an individual, pending legal procedures like extradition, rather than an international arrest warrant itself.

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, with the withdrawal taking effect in 2019 following the instructions of then President Duterte in 2018.