ICC affirms impartiality after Sara Duterte calls it ‘lapdog’

Vice President Sara Duterte in The Hague. — Screengrab from a video shared by the Office of the Vice President

MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has defended its independence after Vice President Sara Duterte accused the tribunal of being a “lapdog” of the Marcos administration.

In a statement sent to the Inquirer, ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet said the Hague-based tribunal “is an international judicial institution which carries out its mandate independently and impartially, in accordance with its founding treaty, the Rome Statute.”

The statement came after Duterte, speaking before supporters outside the ICC headquarters in The Hague on Wednesday, sought to discredit the tribunal by alleging it was a “lapdog” or “puppet” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

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