The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday, May 8, that they are preparing for a legal briefing for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. if the time comes that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues a warrant of arrest among Filipinos.
"The Department is now preparing a legal briefer for the President, which will describe to him yung mga options na available sa kanya in relation to any arrest warrants by the ICC," DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a press briefing.
"The briefer would be an objective statement or an analysis of the pros and cons of each option," he added.
Once the ICC warrants of arrest are issued, Clavano said Marcos knows the legal actions he might undertake.
"Once the ICC warrants of arrest, if ever, are issued, then he will know kung ano yung mga legalities, yung mga options niya, and yung mga remedies din ni president," said Clavano.
According to Clavano, among the matters that will be forwarded to Marcos are the possible pros and cons of rejoining the Rome Statute.
He made it clear that until the President makes a decision or takes a certain course of action, the talks and legal analysis are merely "for the eyes of the President."
Clavano stated that the government has not received an official notification from the ICC authorizing the arrest of individuals within the nation, much less a warrant.
The DOJ official's statement was made following ICC's possible issuance of arrest warrants against former president Rodrigo Duterte by mid-year and for his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte and other personalities in subsequent “batches” in connection with the brutal war on drugs, as claimed by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
