Supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte gather at the Rizal Park in Davao City on Tuesday (11 Mar 2025) to protest the arrest of the former Davao City mayor based on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in relation to his controversial “war on drugs.” MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 March) — Supporters of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte should remain calm after he was arrested on the strength of the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, a local official said.
Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain, a lawyer, told reporters that the country “has a working justice system, which can grant Duterte temporary freedom from authorities’ custody.”
“The next recourse here, as a lawyer, is to file a remedy of writ of habeas corpus. It’s a written order issued by the courts to produce the body of a person being detained against his will,” he said.
Police arrested the 79-year-old Duterte on Tuesday upon arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Hong Kong with his common-law wife Honeylet and their daughter Kitty.
The former Philippine leader and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, attended the “Pasasalamat kay FPRRD” (A Thanksgiving for former President Rodrigo R. Duterte) organized by their supporters last Sunday.
Quitain noted that they were saddened to see Duterte arrested “after he gave everything he could to serve the country and its people.”
He said that the former president is “good, loves the country, and is pro-people.”
“To see things like this happening to him, masakit yan para sa amin (it’s painful for us). It should not be done to him. All he has done is for the future of this country and every Filipino. He put his life on the line to make sure that we are all protected from all criminal elements who can destroy families and people. Why do this to him?” Quitain said.
As of 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, supporters of Duterte were massing up at the Rizal Park here to offer prayers and light candles.
“I hope this reaches the former President so that he will know that we, the city councilors, are in full support to give him the strength during this time because I’m sure it’s very stressful for him,” Quitain said.
On March 17, 2018, then-President Duterte notified the UN Secretary-General that the Philippines was withdrawing from the Rome Statute. The withdrawal became effective on 16 March 2019, a year after the Secretary-General received it.
On this basis, Duterte repeatedly said that he does not recognize the international court as “it has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.”
On October 8, 2024, the former president appeared at the Senate investigation, in aid of legislation, of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s Subcommittee on the “Philippine War on Illegal Drugs,” to defend his campaign against illegal drugs, stating that he only did what he had to do for the country and to protect its citizens as he noted that the ill effects of drugs affected several Filipino people.
Duterte vowed “to take full legal and moral responsibility for all the shortcomings in the implementation of the anti-illegal drug campaign.”
Human rights defenders in Davao hailed the arrest as a “historic moment for international justice and accountability,” underscoring the principle that no one is above the law.
In a statement, lawyer Romeo Cabarde, law professor and director of the Ateneo Public Interest and Legal Advocacy Center, said that the arrest proved that the former president was not “beyond the reach of the law” and that the global community would not ignore the grave human rights violations during his time.
Duterte served as president from 2016 to 2022.
Cabarde urged authorities to ensure due process, uphold the rights of all parties involved, and respect the rule of law throughout the proceedings.
“As the legal process unfolds, we call on the Filipino people to remain vigilant and committed to truth and justice. This case is not just about one individual—it is about ensuring accountability for the thousands of lives lost and upholding the principles of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the Philippines,” he said.
Leo XL Y. Fuentes Jr., regional coordinator of farmers’ group Masipag Inc., said that Duterte’s arrest was a “positive development, especially for the families of victims of the bloody drug war.”
Considering Duterte’s age and fragile health, Fuentes hopes that authorities will uphold his rights and ensure that he receives due process, a “stark contrast to the justice denied to the victims of his controversial war on drugs during his time in office.”
Khyle Caballero, a law graduate and human rights advocate, said that Duterte’s arrest was a significant move towards attaining justice for the victims of the extrajudicial killings.
Even after several years, she believes justice can be served.
Dr. Jean Lindo, chair of Gabriela Southern Mindanao, said that the issue involved state-sponsored killings, “which violate the constitutional rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.”
“I guess he will be accorded with respect and dignity in the ICC court. At least there is due process of law. He has lawyers to defend him. The victims of drug killings ‘never had anybody.’ There was a diligent fact-finding process from relevant agencies and it is up to him to own up or not,” she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
