Far East: From Power to Prosecution—Duterte Arrested Under ICC Warrant for Crimes Against Humanity
the philippines’ former president, rodrigo duterte, arriving at a gathering hosted at the southorn stadium in hong kong, few fays prior to his arrest by the interpol. Vernon Yuen via ap
It has come to the world’s surprise as the president that once called out U.S. President Barack Obama to “go to hell” is now being arrested and charged for crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
On Tuesday, March 11th, the Philippines’ former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested as he landed into Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport with his wife, daughter, and friends from a personal visit to Hong Kong. The arrest was made with the arrest warrant, reclassified by the ICC just hours prior to the arrest, with strong resistance from the former president, quoting “you have to kill me to bring me to The Hague.”
This is the story of how a once feared man, the mastermind behind one of the most deadly drug crackdown on the planet, was arrested and sent to The Hague and how this arrest can affect not just him but his family’s future political endeavors.
Arrest Timeline
Although the arrest was made on March 11th, 2025, the procedural history of this case has been in the International Criminal Court since September 15th, 2021 when the Chamber decided to commence the investigation. It was up until June of 2022 when the Philippines requested for the deferral and temporary suspension of the investigation activities. On February 10th, 2025, the Chamber applied for a warrant of arrest under charges for murder, torture, and rape as crime against humanity.
By March 7th, 2025, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I finalized the issuance of the arrest warrant, on the same day, former President Duterte departed for Hong Kong on a personal visit which sparks speculation as the rumors about the warrant start to circulate and his presence in the Philippines missing.
the plane taking rodrigo duterte to the hague, netherlands, for his trail depart from manila’s ninoy aquino international airport. ezra acayan via getty images.
However, Duterte does make his return and on March 11th, upon his arrival into the Philippines at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Cathay Pacific flight CX 907, he was arrested on the scene where the Philippines’ Police, acting under the warrant that was reclassified to public that very morning, surrendered him to the custody of the ICC the next day.
War on Drugs and Duterte’s Legacy
At the court, the former President is due to be trailed for murder as crime against humanity where he will be trailed by the court with evidences traces back to his time as the Mayor of Davao City in 1998 where he established the ‘Lambada Boys’ death squad which later becomes the so-called ‘Davao Death Squad’ or DDS. The squad was instructed to ‘neutralise’ the alleged criminals without adhering to the basic law enforcement or investigation.
As he was quickly swept up to power in 2016, he enforced the very same-style policy with the now notorious ‘War on Drugs’ which has, according to the official statistics, killed more than 6,000 citizens, by some accounts, the number can rise up to 30,000 including undocumented killings. Most of the suspects killed were poor and young individuals living in urban areas, as noted in the case of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos who was shot dead by police in Manila back in 2017. In the warrant, the ICC has framed the killing as ‘scapegoats’ by killing the lower profile suspects in order to guarantee immunity for higher profile suspects.
Delos Santos' funeral in Caloocan city, in August 2017. Jes Aznar via Getty Images.
With no adherence to the law required and incentives such as financial rewards available, the police has performed multiple raids, often resulting in many innocent lives lost leading the ICC’s commencement of investigation into the case.
“Politics Doesn’t Enter to It”
Within minutes after the former President’s arrest, the now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the remarks that “politics doesn’t enter to it (the arrest).” This has come under speculation from both Duterte’s supporters and independent political observers that this arrest could be politically motivated.
Despite there is not much legal evidence to support the claim, it does sound like a probable hypothesis given that Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte, has been impeached as the Vice President just barely a month prior to the arrest. Sara Duterte, the former Vice President, was impeached for her plot to assassinate the President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, Liza Araneta, and the House Speaker, Martin Romualdez. The impeachment was passed through the House with over 215 votes, further deepening the rift between the country’s two most powerful political dynasties: the Marcoses and the Dutertes.
sara duterte, rodrigo duterte’s daughter, impeached by the house a month prior rodrigo’s arrest. reuters.
Prior to the arrest made on March 11th, Rodrigo Duterte was already due to appear in court the same Friday. Political analysts say that Duterte’s decision to return to the Philippines first was to cement his support and victimize himself that this legal battle for him is indeed a politically motivated one. The Marcoses, however, were quicker by arresting upon his landing and sent him off to The Hague on the same day, getting the former President caught off guard. The serendipity of this arrest comes, according to some former and current Filipino and ICC members, with the political break up between the two dynasties.
Despite the two families running together in the last campaign, it could be said that it was simply a political marriage of convenience. This doesn’t take long until cracks show with Sara Duterte misusing over $10.6 million of intelligence and education funds with payments being made to individuals with names one could only assume to be a joke - from junk food names to cell phones. The foreign policy view between the two families is also very different with the Dutertes being more friendly towards China and Russia while the Marcoses maintain good ties with the United States. All of these differences and misconduct lead to the break up point of this one of the most omnipotent political relationships in the Philippines’ history.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. in Manila, taking the oath of office in their inauguration in 2022. ezra acayan via getty images.
Whether the political motives were at play or not, the fate has already turned reverse for the Dutertes with the father on trial in The Hague and the daughter impeached from office and could be barred from running for any office - for life. With this amount of bad publicity, one could only wonder how well - or bad - the Dutertes will do in the upcoming midterms election this May.