Imee Marcos Files ‘PRRD Act' to Ban Warrantless Transfer of Filipinos to Foreign Courts
The proposed Senate Bill No. 557, dubbed the 'President Rodrigo R. Duterte Act,' cites the arrest and handover of former President Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a 'form of abuse' that could also happen to others.
'What happened was an extraordinary rendition — a transfer without due process to a foreign jurisdiction,' Marcos said in her explanatory note.
She emphasized the need to legally bar such actions, calling them unconstitutional and grounds for punishment under the proposed law.
Under the measure, the following acts would be banned:
Turning over or detaining any individual for an international body without a local court order;
Assisting in investigations or arrests on behalf of foreign courts without proper authorization from the DOJ and DILG;
Transferring persons to a foreign state or tribunal without their consent or an applicable treaty.
The bill also seeks to:
Freeze assets of persons charged under the act;
Bar foreign agents from entering the country to carry out unauthorized probes or arrests;
Allow affected individuals to pursue legal remedies;
Require the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the return of citizens subjected to 'extraordinary rendition.'
Marcos' proposal comes amid Duterte's detention in The Hague over ICC charges linked to drug war killings. He was arrested in the Philippines on March 11 by local authorities acting on an ICC warrant.
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