Senator Imee Marcos will file subpoenas to the office of Senate President Francis Escudero III to request Cabinet secretaries, police heads, and other officials to attend the next Senate hearing on the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court, after their no-shows in Thursday's hearing.
"I have the subpoenas for (Philippine National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen.) Jean Fajardo, (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Major) General Nick Deloso Torre, our secretaries, Special Envoy (for Transnational Crimes) Markus Lacanilao. There's a lot, a lot of them didn't show up so we can't move on. (PNP chief) General Marbil's here too, there's a lot of subpoenas," Marcos said in an ambush interview after the Senate hearing.
Escudero, in a press conference before Marcos' hearing, said he will meet her to tackle her requests for subpoenas. He is waiting for the recommendation from the Senate Legal Committee on the next course of action.
Because of previous disputes between the Executive Department and the Senate, Escudero said he does not want to create a legal crisis.
''I don't want to create a constitutional crisis. If there is an invocation of executive privilege, our resort is with the courts,'' said Escudero.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the Palace invoked executive privilege in ordering key officials of the Marcos administration not to attend Thursday's hearing. He added that the first Senate hearing covered all important matters about the arrest of Duterte,
"I already said this earlier, and Senator Marcos knows this, that due to the invocation of executive privilege in line with previous Supreme Court rulings, I made sure to refer the subpoenas to the Senate legal team to make sure that what we will do will not add to the problem and won't create a constitutional crisis," Escudero said.
Marcos was accompanied by Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who made his first official appearance in the Senate since the arrest of former president Duterte last March 11. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS