We are obligated to honor Interpol commitments - DoJ

MANILA – Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla on Thursday said the country has no recourse to stop Interpol in case it serves an arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo Duterte and others named in the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into the drug war deaths during his administration.

Interpol, or the International Criminal Police Organization, is an international organization of 196 countries that facilitates worldwide police operation and crime control founded a century ago and presently based in France.

"We respect Interpol's actions 99.9 percent of the time," Remulla said during a Kapihan forum with reporters covering the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"If a problem arises, they (ICC) will bring it to Interpol. We are members of Interpol, and we do not block any movement of Interpol unless a policy contradicts our international commitments. The future issue at hand now is that if a warrant of arrest is issued, it's Interpol's job to serve it. And we have a duty to Interpol," he said.

Remulla noted that under the principle of comity, the Philippine government will not obstruct anything as long as it does not violate the country’s laws.

"The principle of comity dictates that we remain friendly and do not block any legal actions they undertake. If they engage in illegal activities, then we will not tolerate that if they violate our laws," he said.

When asked what constitutes illegal actions, Remulla replied, "If they arrest someone without the authority to do so, or usurp power, then we have a problem."

"We are not in the business of blocking Interpol's job, which is to fight international crime," he explained.

Meanwhile, Remulla said the security contingent assigned to Vice president Sara Duterte is larger than the number assigned to secure President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

A 2022 Commission on Audit (COA) report on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) indicated that Duterte’s Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group had 433 members, making up the majority of the 683 OVP staff.

"She still has 320 security personnel despite the PNP (Philippine National Police) pullout. That’s more than the President," Remulla said.

He, however, declined to provide specific numbers guarding President Marcos, citing security concerns. (PNA)