MANILA, March 17 -- Senate President Francis Escudero on Monday expressed support for the Senate's authority to investigate the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte but stressed that the inquiry must serve as a means for national unity, rather than deepening political divisions.

The Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Senator Imee Marcos, set a hearing on Thursday to clarify the involvement and the roles of the International Criminal Court, International Criminal Police Organization and other government agencies in the arrest of former president Rodrigo R. Duterte (FPRRD) on March 11.

Marcos' committee wants to find out if "measures were taken to ensure that the rights of FPRRD under domestic laws and relevant treaties were...