No grand conspiracy in Duterte's arrest – Año

MANILA, Philippines —  He was never part of a “core group” that plotted a “grand conspiracy” to have former president Rodrigo Duterte arrested and turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said yesterday.

Año issued the denial at a hearing by the Senate foreign relations committee on allegations of irregularity in the government’s enforcement of an ICC arrest warrant on Duterte.

Committee chairperson Sen. Imee Marcos sought Año’s comment after insinuating that it was his doing that the administration of her brother, President Marcos made a pivot from its position of non-cooperation with the ICC to helping the foreign tribunal enforce its arrest warrant.

“The implementation of an ICC arrest warrant is beyond my mandate. I am not aware nor am I a member of a core group that allegedly planned and prepared for the arrest of former president Duterte. It was only on Tuesday morning of March 11 that I learned that there was already an Interpol notice, and that the ICC arrest warrant would be served,” Año said.

Año said he was “merely doing my job” as Marcos’ national security adviser.

Año – who served as Duterte’s interior secretary and armed forces chief – said he was a “victim of a disinformation campaign aimed at destroying my integrity and credibility built over decades of public service.”

Bato’s ill feelings

Año aired his side after Sen. Ronald dela Rosa – Duterte’s former police chief and fellow ICC suspect as his lead drug war enforcer – slammed his alleged tipping the Marcos administration of their moves instead of giving them a heads-up about the arrest warrant.

“The former president treated him as a friend and trusted him. He should have alerted us about the arrest warrant. But my ill feelings about him are on a personal level, not official,” Dela Rosa said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

On his Facebook, Dela Rosa posted a video reel about Año’s actions, saying: “You break our hearts, sir.”

Sen. Marcos also confronted Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, for claiming in an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel that he was part of a small group that planned Duterte’s arrest.

Remulla denied there was a “core group” who knew about the upcoming ICC arrest warrant, saying he would rather not talk about his meetings with President Marcos due to “executive privilege.”

“I was asked if I planned it. I said it was not me, but there are other people in the room. We were discussing rumors of an arrest warrant. There was no planning. You cannot plan on a rumor,” Remulla said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla asked that details of the executive meetings not be tackled as it might be subject to the pending petition for habeas corpus filed by Duterte’s children before the Supreme Court.

Man of integrity

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela also vouched for the integrity of Año.

“Secretary Año’s integrity shines through in his service across various administrations. His unwavering commitment to duty consistently places the nation’s interests above all else,” Tarriela said on X.

“Secretary Año steers clear of petty politics and has no personal political ambitions. He is a dedicated public servant who has committed his life to following the chain of command and upholding the Constitution,” he said.

“General Año is straightforward and does not engage in political maneuvering; he focuses solely on what is necessary for the stability and security of our nation,” he added.

He also cited Año’s sterling record as public servant under three administrations: as Philippine Army chief under the second Aquino administration, as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Duterte administration, and currently as national security adviser. –  Ghio Ong