Duterte's legal team 'should do better' - Palace

Malacañang has advised the legal team of former president Rodrigo Duterte to "do better", rather than insisting that his arrest was a result of political maneuvering.

- By BETHEENA UNITE and RAYMUND ANTONIO

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this when sought for reaction on the move of Duterte's counsel to submit before the International Criminal Court (ICC) a report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the former president's arrest.

"For the fees he has allegedly been demanding from his client, former president Rodrigo Duterte, he should do better than that," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, July 8.

"He should concentrate on his defenses, he should concentrate on the allegations and admissions of the former president of his killings and that he ordered the killings of some people in relation to war on drugs, and he also admitted that he will double the EJK killings once elected as a mayor. He should concentrate on that. That is supposed to be part of his defense for his client," Castro added.

The Palace official also said that Duterte's legal team should also remember that the case against the former president was filed as early as 2017.