The Senate has approved Senate Resolution No. 144, which expresses the chamber’s appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow former President Rodrigo Duterte to be placed under house arrest on humanitarian grounds.
The measure was adopted during the Senate’s plenary session on Wednesday, October 1.
Filed by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, the resolution cited Duterte’s age and deteriorating health as grounds to request a medical evaluation to determine if he is still fit to endure detention at the ICC’s Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands.
The resolution further stated that if medical findings show that incarceration could worsen his condition, the ICC should consider house arrest or a similar arrangement, provided that safeguards remain in place to preserve the integrity of the ongoing trial.
Duterte’s legal counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, had earlier raised the possibility of interim release for the former president due to health concerns.
In the voting results, 15 senators supported the resolution, three voted against it, two abstained, and four were absent.
Those who voted in favor were:
Alan Peter Cayetano, Migz Zubiri, Ping Lacson, Rodante Marcoleta, Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Jinggoy Estrada, Win Gatchalian, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Bong Go, Imee Marcos, Erwin Tulfo, and Mark Villar.
Those opposed were:
Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino, and Kiko Pangilinan.
Those who abstained were:
Tito Sotto and Raffy Tulfo.
Absent were:
Chiz Escudero, Lito Lapid, Pia Cayetano, and Camille Villar, who gave birth on the same day.
With the adoption of the resolution, the Senate will formally appeal to the ICC to place former President Duterte under house arrest.