A source reveals the behind-the-scenes events leading up to the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte by Philippine authorities following an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. The account sheds light on the timeframe, locations, and strategic maneuvers employed by law enforcement.
Philippine authorities have been preparing for the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte since January as part of a police operation called Oplan Tugis. According to a source familiar with the details, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rommel Marbil ordered Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) head Nicolas Torre to take Duterte into custody as soon as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him.
The warrant stemmed from murder charges connected to crimes against humanity related to his deadly drug war. On March 7, Duterte traveled to Hong Kong to attend an event with Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Coincidentally, this was the same day the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 issued the arrest warrant. By this point, the PNP was already working closely with the International Police Criminal Organization (Interpol). The CIDG initially planned to apprehend Duterte in Hong Kong, but the Hong Kong Police Force refused to cooperate with Interpol as China, to which Hong Kong is tied, is not a party to the Rome Statute. Authorities continued to monitor Duterte's activities through four CIDG agents until his return to the Philippines on March 11. According to the source, six members of the Hong Kong police accompanied Duterte and ensured he boarded his flight back to the Philippines. The source also claimed that Duterte sought asylum in China but was denied.Upon his return, the CIDG, forecasting potential difficulties in arresting Duterte in Davao City, his stronghold, employed a strategy of psychological warfare. Two battalions of the PNP Special Action Force (PNP SAF) were deployed to Davao International Airport to discourage Duterte's planned landing there. The CIDG leaked information about the heavy police presence in Davao to deter Duterte. At Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 where his flight was expected to arrive, authorities conducted four dry runs of the arrest procedure. A team of 60 CIDG and 20 SAF personnel were stationed at the airport to carry out the arrest and ensure security. The CIDG also requested that NAIA air traffic controllers have Duterte's plane taxi to Boarding Gate 116, the gate closest to the elevator leading to the tarmac. Outside the terminal, PNP coasters were ready to transport the former president and his entourage to the nearby Villamor Airbase. After Duterte and his party boarded, the police vehicles drove along the runway to Villamor, where he was arrested. Twelve hours after his arrival from Hong Kong, Duterte was on a chartered passenger jet en route to The Hague in the Netherlands to face the ICC
Rodrigo Duterte International Criminal Court Philippines Arrest Drug War Asylum Hong Kong
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