Senate summons officials over Duterte arrest

Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero has signed subpoenas to summon officials to the Senate committee hearing on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The subpoenas were issued against Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and Philippine Air Force Lieutenant General Arthur M. Cordura, who are now under investigation by the Senate foreign relations committee.

Escudero noted that he had sent the signed subpoenas to the Senate legal counsel for review to avoid a potential constitutional crisis.

Despite Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin's invocation of executive privilege on Monday, which cited possible violations of sub judice rules, the Senate committee continued its investigation on Thursday.

The arrest of Duterte based on an ICC warrant on March 11 has drawn criticism from Senator Marcos and other opposition figures who argue that the Philippines had no obligation to comply with the arrest order.