No TRO: Duterte fails to get SC relief

The Supreme Court saw no need to immediately issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte and the government’s indirect cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

- EVELYN MACAIRAN

In a one-page statement yesterday, the SC said it did not find any basis to grant the request of petitioners Duterte and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa to issue an immediate TRO against the government.

“After a virtual deliberation on the 94-page petition, the SC found that the petitioners failed to establish a clear and unmistakable right for the immediate issuance of a TRO,” the SC said.

Meanwhile, respondents were given a non-extendible period of 10 days to submit their comments on the petition for TRO and/or writ of preliminary injunction.

Respondents named in the petition were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group head Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and former Bureau of Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco.

The petitioners, through their legal counsel Israelito Torreon, filed the documents on March 11 at 4:27 p.m.

Following instructions from Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, the petition was immediately raffled to a member-incharge and uploaded to the SC website.

The SC also said it electronically received the Very Urgent Manifestation with Reiterative Prayer for the Issuance of a TRO and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction at 11:17 p.m. of March 11.

In filing the TRO application, the Duterte camp was running against time to stop the departure of the former president, who was by then set to be flown to The Hague on orders of the ICC.