Imee Marcos on Duterte’s visit to China: ‘He is an invaluable asset to the dialogue’

TACLOBAN CITY — Senator Imee Marcos welcomed the visit of former president Rodrigo Duterte to China, saying it could possibly help the current territorial dispute between the two countries.

“I’m sure former President Duterte will be an invaluable asset to the dialogue,” Marcos said in a brief press conference held at the City Hall attended by her cousin, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

“And I hope he will pursue that dialogue and help us unravel the many troubles we had in the recent past,” she added.

READ: Former President Duterte meets with China’s Xi Jinping

Marcos also cautioned the public not to make any speculations on the July 17th visit of Rodrigo Duterte, who is a close ally of the senator.

Imee Marcos also said that like Duterte, her mother former first lady Imelda Marcos is also close and a friend to the Chinese.

ICC decision

Marcos, who chairs the foreign relations committee in the Senate, lambasted the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) denying the appeal of the Philippine government on the brutal anti-drug war waged by the Duterte administration.

The senator said the ICC was gravely wrong in denying the appeal of the Philippine government, considering that it is also addressing issues relative to the drug war, notably on the extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

She said that the local courts have already convicted police authorities due to the EJKs.

In 2018, a court convicted police officials who were involved in the killing of Kian de los Santos, one of the high-profile cases of the Duterte drug war.

The police accused the 17-year-old as a drug runner. The family denied the claim of the police.

“It’s very, very clear that those guilty of EJKs have been punished,” she said, adding that our courts are functioning.

READ: China must stop incursion in PH territorial waters — Lorenzana

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