Palace Fires Back at Kaufman's 'Secret Wiretap' Claim: 'He's a Lawyer Relying on Gossip' — Marcos-Duterte Feud Explodes at ICC

The Marcos-Duterte political war just reached The Hague. After Duterte's defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman dropped a bombshell claim at the ICC hearing — alleging the existence of a secretly recorded phone call involving a "silent partner" of President Marcos funneling witnesses to the court — Malacañang hit back hard, calling Kaufman's allegations nothing but "gossip" and "preposterous."

Palace Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro didn't mince words: "Kaufman is a lawyer but relying on mere gossip. Is he into anti-wire tapping?" she said in a Viber message to reporters. She branded the defense's accusation that Marcos tried to "neutralize" Duterte and his legacy as completely baseless.

Here's what Kaufman claimed: during the first day of the ICC confirmation of charges hearing, he told the court that a covertly recorded phone call transcript shows someone "boasting about managing a scheme" to funnel witnesses to the ICC while guaranteeing Marcos's "plausible deniability." Kaufman also alleged that Marcos signed a letter promising to protect Duterte from the ICC — a promise he then broke when Philippine authorities assisted Interpol in arresting Duterte at NAIA in March 2025.

Castro fired back that Kaufman "has the temerity to accuse President Marcos of trying to neutralize Duterte's legacy" and reminded everyone that the ICC cases were filed long before Marcos took office. She also said Kaufman should "focus on case facts, not politics" — a thinly veiled suggestion that the defense strategy is more about creating a political circus than winning in court.

Kaufman's strategy seems clear: paint Duterte as a political victim of Marcos rather than an architect of mass killings. Whether that flies with the ICC judges is another matter entirely. But one thing's for sure — the once-powerful Marcos-Duterte alliance is now a full-blown war being fought on the world stage. Walang atrasan na 'to.

Sources: Atin Ito News / Inquirer.net