Author: Ted Regencia
Published on: 11/03/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Rodrigo Duterte was immediately taken into police custody on Tuesday at the Manila international airport following his arrival from Hong Kong. The arrest marks the first time a leader in the Philippines will be facing a case before an international tribunal. Duterte ran for president in 2016 on a single issue of fighting crime in the Philippines. After taking office on June 30, 2016, he immediately launched his deadly campaign. Over his six years in office, more than 7,000 people were killed in official anti-drug operations. Marcos Jr repeatedly rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction over the Philippines and on the Duterte case. In July 2023, just a year into his presidency, he categorically declared that the Philippines “will not cooperate” with the international body “in any way, shape, or form”. Marcos Jr would reiterate the same line during his visit to Germany in March 2024. But the political equation that undergirded that position on the ICC has changed. The political alliance began to crumble when supporters of the Duterte family called for Marcos’s ouster. “You will just have to kill me if I will not comply,” Duterte said in a video clip. He was arrested as soon his plane landed in the Philippine capital on Tuesday. In another video posted on Instagram, he asked authorities, “What is the law and what is the crime that I committed?” Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former legal adviser, described the arrest as “unlawful” Senator Ronald dela Rosa has also questioned the arrest. Rise Up, a group of women whose family members or children were among those killed in the drug war, also welcomed the arrest and promised to “stay vigilant and see through” the prosecution. The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) said the arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule.
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Percent reduction: 77.33%