Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte

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On March 11, 2025, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police and Interpol on the basis of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant charging him with crimes against humanity in connection with the Philippine drug war.^[1] Duterte arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila on March 11, after attending a political rally in Hong Kong.^[2] Upon the execution of the warrant, Duterte was transferred to Villamor Air Base and is currently being transported to The Hague, Netherlands.^[3]

Duterte was indicted on charges of crimes against humanity, which includes extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Mayor of Davao City and as President of the Philippines (until the country's withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019). He is the fourth Philippine president to be indicted and arrested after Jose P. Laurel in 1945, Joseph Estrada in 2001, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2011. He is also the first Philippine president to face an international tribunal, and the first leader from Asia to face trial before the ICC.

Rodrigo Duterte was the focus of an investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. The investigation included his links with the Davao Death Squad, which is estimated to have killed at least a thousand people since the 1990s, as well as reported extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers and drug users during his presidency until 2019, when the Philippines withdrew from the ICC under Duterte's administration.^[4]

In 2017, Filipino lawyer Jude Sabio submitted a 77-page document to the ICC titled "The Situation of Mass *** in the Philippines", accusing President Duterte and 11 other officials of mass *** and crimes against humanity.^[5][6] Similarly, then Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and members of the Magdalo Party-List led by then-Representative Gary Alejano filed a 45-page supplemental complaint requesting of charges of crimes against humanity to the earlier filing by Sabio.^[7]

The jurisdiction of the ICC investigation in the Philippines will be limited to the period when the country was a state party to the Rome Statute, between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, encompassing almost three years of Duterte's presidency, during which the Philippine drug war was at its height. The Supreme Court of the Philippines, in a 2021 ruling, commented on the withdrawal from the Rome Statute and stated that the Philippines still has an obligation to cooperate in the ICC proceedings.^[8]

Under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, the government maintained its position of non-cooperation with the investigation. However, by 2024, it stated that it could not prevent investigators from acting independently.^[9][10] In November 2024, while reaffirming its stance on the ICC, the Philippine government stated that it would surrender Duterte if he were indicted, citing its obligation to Interpol.^[11][12]

The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a warrant dated March 7, 2025, at The Hague by presiding judge Iulia Motoc and judges Reine Alapini-Gansou, Socorro Flores Liera. The ICC reached out to Interpol for the execution of the warrant.^[13] While there were rumours that such was indeed forthcoming as Duterte flew to Hong Kong a few days prior,^[14] the de jure^{[clarification needed]} existence of a warrant was not immediately known to the wider public. The document was reclassified from "secret" to "public" on March 11.^[15] The warrant was confirmed in a press release by the Presidential Communications Office hours after its execution.^[16]

In a subsequent press conference minutes after the plane going to The Netherlands departed, President Bongbong Marcos stated the warrant was sent to the Office of the President of the Philippines through the Interpol Manila office at about 03:00 PHT (UTC+08:00) on March 11, 2025, and proceeded to serving the warrant in coordination with the Philippine National Police. ^[17]

On March 7, Rodrigo Duterte flew to Hong Kong to attend a Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) rally and to campaign for their slate of senatorial candidates. His daughter Vice President Sara Duterte flew to Hong Kong later on to join him in the rally.^[18]

On March 8, Duterte was seen in Causeway Bay amidst circulating rumors that the International Criminal Court had released an arrest warrant for the former president, according to a report by the Hong Kong–based English newspaper The Standard.^[18] The Philippine government did not confirm at the time if an arrest warrant was issued by the ICC, but released a statement that if "Interpol will ask the necessary assistance from the government, it is obliged to follow" and that "the government is prepared in any eventuality."^[18]

From March 10 to the morning of March 11, hundreds of police were deployed at Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, and Metro Manila in preparation for a possible high-profile but unidentified, arrest. It was widely speculated that the target of the police deployment was Duterte, who was set to return to the Philippines from Hong Kong.^[19][20]

There were rumors that Duterte had sought political asylum in China. However, Sara Duterte insisted that her father had not been in contact with Chinese officials during his stay.^[21]

On March 11, police were deployed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in anticipation of the arrival of Duterte. He arrived at 09:20 PHT (UTC+08:00) onboard Cathay Pacific Flight 907, and was arrested upon arrival.^[22] Retired general Anthony Alcantara, executive director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes (PCTC) and Special Envoy on Transnational Crimes, served the warrant on behalf of the Prosecutor General of the Department of Justice.^[23][24] Duterte's lawyers, aides, and doctors were prevented from coming close to him when he was taken into police custody.^[25]

His domestic partner, Honeylet Avanceña, tried to block Duterte from going with authorities. Meanwhile, his daughter Veronica livestreamed on her Instagram page as the Philippine National Police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group greeted the Dutertes and arrested him.^[26] Veronica called the police "abusive" and said they had no warrant.^[26] His eldest daughter Vice President Sara Duterte released a statement that her father's detention was "a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence".^[27]

The Philippine National Police directed its regional units and national support to be on heightened alert, starting on March 11, in preparation for possible protest and civil disturbances that may arise following the arrest of Duterte.^[28]

Following his arrest, Duterte was detained at Villamor Air Base.^[29][30] He was later given pizza by his longtime aide, Senator Bong Go, and his longtime physician, Agnes del Rosario.^[31][32] Go stated that it was upon the request of Duterte and his daughter Veronica.^[33]

Duterte's son and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte alleged on Facebook that his father was being denied medical care while in custody and that the government is trying to get him to board a plane without disclosing the destination. The Philippine government maintains that Duterte is in good condition.^[34]

At 23:03 PHT (UTC+08:00), a government-chartered Gulfstream G550 jet registered as RP-C5219, carrying Duterte along with his legal counsel Salvador Medialdea and his party, departed from Manila. The jet flew to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai for a layover and is flying towards Rotterdam The Hague Airport in the Netherlands.^[35][36][37] Duterte is set to be arraigned in The Hague for the indictment on charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC.^[3][38]

People gathered outside the gates of Villamor Air Base, where Duterte was detained, protesting the arrest of Duterte while criticizing the government.^[39] Supporters of Duterte held a candlelight rally at Rizal Park, Davao City, which was attended by hundreds of people, including city officials, barangay captains, and councilors.^[40][41]

Various progressive groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, together with relatives of victims of reported extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration, staged a protest at the Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City to call for the imprisonment of Duterte on the afternoon of his arrest.^[42][43]

Salvador Panelo, the former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson of Rodrigo Duterte, lambasted Duterte's arrest as "unlawful" as the Philippines was not a member of the ICC anymore.^[2] The Supreme Court, to which he is answerable as an "officer of the court", had previously ruled that the country was still obliged to cooperate with the ICC with regard to the events that transpired until the day before the withdrawal became effective.^[44][8][45]

Philippine vice president and Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte criticized the Philippine government while announcing that her father would be flown to the International Criminal Court.^[46]

The arrest was received positively by the surviving family members of the victims. Neri Colmenares, who serves as counsel for the victims, noted that the arrest is a welcome development that "sends a powerful message" and is an important step toward justice for the victims.^[47]

Opposition leader and former Senator Leila de Lima, who was previously imprisoned and later acquitted on drug charges by the Duterte administration, welcomed the arrest of Duterte. She also stated, "...I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide. Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion but before the rule of law."^[48]

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is a renowned Duterte critic, stated that the arrest of Duterte was "the first step toward achieving justice for the thousands who were killed" and called on Duterte to "purify his soul". Along with members of the Magdalo Party-List, Trillanes filed a criminal complaint against Duterte at the ICC in 2017.^[49]

Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International who previously served as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions under the United Nations Human Rights Council, which included their own investigations in the Philippines, called the arrest of Duterte "a monumental step for justice".^[50]

•  China – On March 11, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the ICC "should strictly follow the principle of complementarity, exercise its functions and powers prudently in accordance with the law and prevent politicization or double standards".^[51]
•  UN – At a press conference, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated that they have "long documented the severe human rights impacts of the so-called war on *** in the Philippines".^[52]

• Impeachment of Sara Duterte
• Trial of Joseph Estrada
• Arrest of Apollo Quiboloy