Duterte had falling events in ICC cell

MANILA, Philippines — Former president Rodrigo Duterte had “rare” falling episodes inside his detention facility in The Hague, although no such incident has occurred in the past 30 days, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Registry said.

In a May 13 filing made public yesterday, the ICC Registry said ergonomic adjustments were made to the placement of items in Duterte’s cell and in the visiting rooms to allow him to have more free and stable movement.

“On rare occasions where Mr. Duterte did have a fall, ICC (Detention Centre) custody staff were able to respond immediately to assist him and immediately call for medical assessment,” read the seven-page document signed by Marc Dubuisson, director of the ICC Registry’s Division of Judicial Services.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that no action is expected from the United Nations on the “baseless” claims by a Japanese non-government organization seeking Duterte’s provisional release in the ICC. – Pia Lee-Brago