Former Philippine former President Rodrigo Duterte arrested an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant in Manila on Tuesday, March 11.
The 79-year-old faces charges of “anti-murder crimes” and rights groups estimate his brutal crackdown has killed thousands, mainly poor, many of whom have no proven links to illegal drugs.
The Philippine Presidential Palace confirmed the arrest, noting that Interpol Manila received an official copy of the ICC arrest warrant early in the morning. Authorities have since taken Duterte to custody, and officials have assured him and his entourage are healthy and underwent medical examinations.
In a video posted on Instagram by his youngest daughter, Veronica, Duterne demands that the legal basis for his arrest be understood. “So what is the law, what are the crimes I committed? Now show me the legal basis of my here,” he said. “It was my own will that I was brought here, but someone else’s… You must answer now to deprive your liberty.”
Although officials did not immediately confirm his location, a photo posted by his party showed he was being held at the Villamore Air Base near the Manila airport. Duterte’s former chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo called the arrest “illegal”, saying police denied a Duterte lawyer visiting the airport but failed to file a hard copy of the ICC warrant.
Duterte supporters gathered outside Villamore Air Force Base to express their opposition to the arrest, but human rights groups welcomed the development. Advocacy coordinator Rubilyn Litao earns a living and rights, he said families of victims of the drug war have long been waiting for justice. “The mother whose husband and children were killed was very happy because they had been waiting for a long time,” she told AFP.
Human Rights Watch and Philippine Rights Alliance Karapatan called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure Duterte was handed over to the International Criminal Court for trial. “Now that Duterte has been arrested, Makos Jr. should make sure he was actually sent to the International Criminal Court for detention and trial,” Karapatan said. Human Rights Watch also urged the government to act quickly, saying his arrest marks a “critical step in the Philippines’ accountability.”
Duterte, arrested after a brief trip to Hong Kong, addressed thousands of overseas Filipino workers on Sunday. In his speech, he dismissed the ICC investigation, referring to the court’s investigators as “prostitutes”, but admitted that he would “accept” if arrested.
The Philippines withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2019 under Duterte’s order, but the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed before the withdrawal, including the killing in Davao City during Duterte’s mayorship. The International Criminal Court formally launched an investigation in September 2021, but temporarily suspended the investigation after Manila claimed it was reviewing hundreds of cases related to the drug war killing. The investigation was resumed in July 2023 after an ICC judge ruled against the Philippines.
Since then, the Marcos administration has repeatedly refused to cooperate with the ICC investigation. But on Sunday, Claire Castro, deputy secretary of the President’s Office of Communications, said the Philippines government “must comply” if Interpol formally requests assistance.
Despite his legal troubles, Duterte remains a powerful politician, currently running for mayor of Davao City in the May midterm elections. His drug war is popular among many Filipinos, who see it as a swift solution to crime, although critics denounce it as a systematic attack on human rights.
During the Philippine Senate investigation into the drug war in October, Duterte insisted he had no regrets. “I did what I had to do, believe it or not, for my country,” he said. “I have no apology, no excuses.”
With Duterte’s arrest, the Philippines faces a decisive moment to determine whether it upholds its commitment to human rights and international justice or whether it covers up former leaders from accountability.
