FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday following his arrest earlier this week on murder charges linked to his bloody campaign against illegal drugs.
In a statement, the ICC said the 79-year-old former chief executive was “surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court. He was arrested by the authorities of the Republic of the Philippines… for charges of murder as a crime against humanity.”
The Duterte patriarch was arrested on Tuesday morning upon his arrival from Hong Kong on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the ICC.
The chartered jet that transported him and his party to the Netherlands landed at the Rotterdam The Hague airport at 4:54 p.m. on Wednesday (11:54 p.m. Wednesday Manila time). He was accompanied by former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, a private nurse and a personal bodyguard.
The ICC statement said the former president will be brought before an ICC judge in The Hague in the coming days for an initial appearance.
During this hearing, the ICC said the chamber will confirm the identity of Duterte and the language in which he will be able to follow the proceedings.
“The Chamber will also satisfy itself that Mr. Duterte has been informed of the crime which he is alleged to have committed and of his rights under the Rome Statute, which is the Court’s founding treaty,” it also said.
Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, will face trial for crimes against humanity for overseeing death squads in his anti-drugs crackdown. He could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial.
The ICC arrest warrant said that as president, Duterte created, funded and armed the death squads that carried out murders of suspected drug users and dealers.
Duterte was brought to The Hague Penitentiary Institution or the Scheveningen Prison at 7:34 p.m. (2:34 a.m. Manila time) aboard a black vehicle upon his arrival in the Netherlands.
About 20 anti-Duterte protesters gathered outside the ICC in The Hague with banners, including one that said: “We demand justice and accountability, Rodrigo Duterte is a war criminal!”
Another protester held a big cardboard mask depicting Duterte as a vampire.
“This is great news for Filipino people,” anti-Duterte protester Menandro Abanes said of Duterte’s arrest and transfer to the court. “I’m here to show my appreciation to (the) ICC for doing its job to end impunity.”
Another protester, Mary-Grace Labasan, said: “Actually, he is lucky, because he is experiencing the due process of law compared to the victims who were just being shot and killed without any due process.”
A handful of pro-Duterte protesters also gathered at the court building.
“They handed our president to foreigners,” Janet Suliman said. “They brought shame to our (country).”
The war on drugs was the signature campaign platform that swept Duterte to power in 2016. During his six years in office, police authorities said 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations.
But human rights groups claim the real toll was far greater, with many thousands more slum drug users, some of whom were on community “watch lists” after they signed up for treatment, gunned down in mysterious circumstances.
LONG ICC BATTLE
In a video message posted on his Facebook account, Duterte said he will take full responsibility for his administration’s drug war.
“Whatever happened in the past, I will be the front of our law enforcement and the military. I said this already, that I will protect you, and I will be responsible for everything,” he said. These were his first remarks since being put on a plane to The Hague.
The video only showed Duterte speaking. He was wearing a plain white shirt. It appeared to have been recorded inside the plane, with the faint hum of the engine audible in the background.
“This will be a long legal proceeding, but I say to you, I will continue to serve my country. And so be it, if that is my destiny,” Duterte said, while assuring his supporters he was well.
“I am okay, do not worry,” he also said in the more than two-minute video clip.
CONSULAR ASSISTANCE
The Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands yesterday said it provided consular assistance and care packages to Duterte upon his arrival.
The embassy said Duterte was turned over by accompanying Philippine law enforcement authorities to officials of the Judicial Cooperation Unit of the Office of Registry of the ICC.
“Former executive secretary Medialdea was issued a 15-day visa as counsel of the former president and has been granted permission to visit the former president, Thursday, at the ICC Detention Center in Scheveningen, The Hague,” the embassy said.
“Upon the Embassy’s representation, the Netherland’s Immigration Authorities granted those who escorted the former resident, including the latter’s nurse and aide, two-day visas to enable them to rest and recover for their long return flight,” it added.
The embassy said since it is winter season in Europe, they have “prepared, procured, and delivered winter clothing, change of clothes, and care packages for the former president.”
The same provisions were also extended to the accompanying delegation and flight crew.
The embassy also said its officials called the attention of ICC and Dutch authorities regarding the need to closely monitor the 79-year old Duterte’s medical condition.
Duterte’s camp earlier said he was set to undergo a medical check-up on March 12 by his personal physician, but it did proceed as he was arrested upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
The embassy said it has also provided the former president with contact details of its officials, whom he can contact by mobile phone for any consular assistance he may need.
‘MEANS A LOT’
International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said Duterte’s arrest “means a lot” for the alleged victims of his bloody drug campaign.
“The arrest of the former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Roa Duterte is an important moment. It means, I think, a lot to victims,” Khan said in a statement.
“Many say that international law is not as strong as we want, and I agree with that. But as I also repeatedly emphasize, international law is not as weak as some may think. When we come together, when we work, when we build partnership, the rule of law can prevail,” he said.
Khan said their office requested the issuance of a warrant for Duterte last month, and the pre-trial judges composed of three women, found reasonable grounds to believe that he committed murder both as the founder of the notorious Davao Death Squad and as president of the Philippines.
“The rule of law can prevail, and warrants can be executed,” Khan said.
The judges who composed the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 that issued the warrant against Duterte are Presiding Judge Iula Antoanella Motoc (Romanian), Reine Alipini Gansuo (Benin), and Socorro Flores Liera (Mexico).
Khan stressed that Duterte is presumed innocent and he will make his court appearance soon.
“The focus of the office is on the judicial proceedings and on proving his case before the judges of the ICC,” he said.
‘BIG MOMENT’ FOR ICC
Lawyers and academics said the arrest and transfer of Duterte were a big moment for the ICC, which is targeted by U.S. sanctions and does not have any police of its own to arrest people.
“This is an opportunity for the court to show that it can deal with a big case and can have arrests,” said Iva Vukusic, an assistant professor of international history at Utrecht University.
Other notable fugitives are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of being criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and using starvation as a weapon of war in the Gaza conflict, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Both deny the allegations.
In recent months the ICC prosecutor has also requested arrest warrants for senior Afghan and Myanmar leaders.
‘FAKE NEWS’
Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol) denied claims made by some quarters on social media that he owns the RP-C5219 Gulfstream G550 aircraft that was used to bring the former president to The Hague.
“Social media posts linking me to this aircraft are completely untrue,” he said, citing an online news report that the flight was arranged by Challenger Aero Corporation.
He sad it is evident that “certain individuals are actively spreading fake news, particularly targeting me and several of my colleagues in the House of Representatives.”
“I believe this is a concerted effort to divert the public’s attention from the real issue. I urge the public and the media to exercise discernment, verify information with the appropriate authorities, and practice responsible reporting to prevent the spread of misinformation,” he said.
Co also denied online claims that he was among the government officials who went to The Hague. “I have no connection to the ICC, nor am I in The Hague, Netherlands,” he said.
Co, however, admitted that he went to Rome for a personal meeting on board Emirates Flight EK333 to Dubai on March 11, 2025 and proceeded to Rome on board Emirates Flight EK0097 the following day.
“It (travel abroad) was solely for a scheduled personal meeting in Rome and had nothing to do with the ICC. Any claims suggesting that I am in The Hague or any location other than Rome are entirely false,” he said. – Ashzel Hachero, Wendell Vigilia and Reuters
