Malacañang responded to Vice President Sara Duterte's latest allegations that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is allegedly a "puppet" of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

The Palace also challenged the Vice President to release data regarding what she claims is a serious case of gun violence in the country.

Asked to characterize President Marcos Jr. and Antonio Trillanes in relation to the ICC case against her father, Vice President Sara Duterte did not hold back, calling both men ‘traitors’ to the country.

"How do we characterize Trillanes and Marcos in relation to ICC, yes they are traitors to the Filipino and to the country, but more than that ang ICC ay tuta ni Trillanes at Marcos." VP Duterte said.

[How do we characterize Trillanes and Marcos in relation to ICC, yes they are traitors to the Filipino and to the country, but more than that the ICC is a puppet of Trillanes and Marcos.]

Vice President Sara Duterte called President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a traitor over his alleged coordination with the International Criminal Court to arrest former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. 

According to the Vice President, who is currently in The Hague, Netherlands, it appears that PBBM made an agreement with the ICC to have his father arrested. She cited the presence of ICC investigators in the country as proof of this. She also said she spoke with the President regarding the information she has gathered on the matter.

Recounting her exchange with the President, VP Duterte accused him of publicly opposing the ICC investigation while privately allowing it to continue.

"I wrote the president, why is the ICC continuing the investigation inside the Philippines? What did he say? We will not cooperate in any shape or form with the ICC because it is an infringement on our sovereignty, on that point he is correct, because our judicial court is functioning… That is the only correct thing that Marcos did or Marcos said about the ICC… But his left hand was doing other negotiations. He was doing exactly the opposite. He was allowing the investigation to happen supported by the HOR and Antonio Trillanes." Duterte added. 

Dismissing the Vice President's claims, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro described her statements as baseless and suggested they stemmed from frustration over her father's ICC trial.

"Ang lahat po halos ng sinasabi ng Bise Presidente sa ngayon ay walang basehan, walang saysay, useless at nonsense. Maaaring ito ay kaniyang nasasabi out of frustration dahil ang kaniyang ama ngayon ay nililitis sa ICC."

[Almost everything the Vice President is saying now has no basis, has no point, is useless and nonsense. She may be saying this out of frustration because her father is now being tried at the ICC.]

Malacañang also stressed that the case against former President Duterte was filed with the ICC as early as 2017, at a time when Marcos was still a private citizen. 

The Palace said the President is merely complying with the law.

‍