Philippine Palace unaware of Duterte arrest orchestrators

The Palace in the Philippines stated it has “no personal knowledge” of who was behind the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The arrest was made on behalf of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Officials emphasized that the action followed legal procedures. During a press briefing, Claire Castro, an official with the Presidential Communications Office, objected to the term “mastermind.” She expressed that the term has a negative connotation, likening it to organized crime. Castro confirmed that they do not know who gave the order or what was discussed among authorities regarding the arrest. The issue came to light when Duterte returned from Hong Kong on March 11. Some discussions in a Senate panel hearing suggested there was a concerted effort to plan the arrest. However, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla cleared the air, saying there was no such mastermind behind the action. Instead, he explained that discussions were mostly centered around Duterte's statements made during his trip.