Phl may turn over Duterte to Interpol - Palace

The government may be obliged to turn over former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Police Organization if the International Criminal Court (ICC) requests assistance from the Interpol, Malacañang said.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

Duterte, whose crackdown on illegal drugs claimed the lives of more than 6,000 suspects, challenged the ICC to "hurry up," come to the Philippines and start its investigation.

At the House quad committee hearing yesterday, Duterte said he was not scared of the ICC, even expressing readiness to face the court if he is given air fare to travel to its headquarters.

Asked to react to Duterte's statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the government would not prevent the former president from surrendering himself to ICC jurisdiction. Philippine authorities would also consider cooperating with the Interpol if the ICC seeks the intervention of the global police organization, Bersamin said.

The Marcos administration earlier said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

"If the former president desires to surrender himself to the jurisdiction of the ICC, the government will neither object to it nor move to block the fulfillment of his desire, " the executive secretary said in a statement.