Former President Rodrigo Duterte, long-time mayor of Davao City, makes his first appearance before the International Criminal Court via video link from his detention center in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Friday, 14 March 2025. Photo courtesy of the INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / May 26) – The Philippine government will ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow detained former President Rodrigo Duterte to be sworn in as Davao City mayor, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Monday.
Based on the final tally of the Board of Canvassers here, the Duterte patriarch won by a landslide with 662,630 votes over his closest rival Karlo Nograles, former Civil Service Commission chair, who only got 80,852 votes. The other contenders — Bishop Rod Cubos got 7,757 votes, Jonathan Julaine 1,351 and Joselito Ran 1,139.
“We acknowledge the electoral win of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The [Commission on Elections] has proclaimed him mayor with an overwhelming mandate, so we recognize him as such,” Remulla said in a media ambush interview at the Quezon City Police District, posted on Facebook.
“What I intend to do is to formally request the ICC to allow our consul to visit him [Duterte] so that he can take his oath of office, since that is a requirement for him to officially assume the post,” he added in Filipino.
When asked if the Duterte patriarch can do his duties as mayor, Remulla clarified that he must be physically present, “therefore, the elected vice mayor, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, will take over in leading the city.”
Sebastian is incumbent mayor of Davao City and the youngest son of the former president.
“In his absence, the vice mayor will be there…Kailangan (He must be) physically present. So in his incapacity na hindi niya kayang magsilbi, ang vice mayor muna ang uupo doon (that he cannot render service, the vice mayor will take over his seat),” Remulla said.
Duterte’s candidacy drew national and international attention because the former president is currently detained at The Hague, Netherlands by the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with the bloody “war on drugs” during his presidency and partly when he was still a city mayor.
According to Section 46(a) of the Local Government Code, when the mayor is temporarily incapacitated to perform his/her duties due to physical or legal reasons such as leave of absence, travel abroad, or suspension from office, the vice mayor shall automatically exercise the powers and perform the duties of the mayor.
However, the law states that the vice mayor cannot appoint, suspend, or dismiss employees unless the period of temporary incapacity exceeds thirty 30 working days.
Except for the years 1998 to 2001 when Duterte could not run for mayor because of term limit, Duterte served as mayor for 22 years – 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016.
The Dutertes have held the mayoralty of the city for 34 years: the 80-year old patriarch for 22 years, his daughter Sara for nine years and his son Sebastian for three years. The latter ran and won as vice mayor in the May 12 polls. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
