In Davao City, supporters want Duterte back home; others say ‘make him accountable’

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 March) —  Supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday  want him returned to the country from The Hague in the Netherlands, where he is facing the International Criminal Court (ICC) on murder charges as a crime against humanity. 

Mars Flores, a virtual assistant, and her friends spent their day off on Sunday afternoon to join several other Dabawenyos for the “Solidarity Walk” during the Parada Dabawenyo to support Duterte,  longtime mayor of this city.

She said Duterte was a good leader despite his widely criticized drug war policy.

“Love man gyud nato si PRRD (We love former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte). We want the President back,” she said, adding he was deprived of due process. 

^{Thousands of Dabawenyos join the “Solidarity Walk” during the 88th Araw ng Davaw’s Parada Dabawenyo on Sunday, 16 March 2025, to call for the return of former President Rodrigo Duterte from The Hague in the Netherlands. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO}

Capt. Hazel Tuazon, spokersperson of the  Davao City Police Office (DCPO) estimated the participatns at 20,000. The walk began on Roxas Avenue, then turned left onto C.M. Recto Avenue, right onto Rizal Street, left onto Iñigo Street, and finally left onto San Pedro Street.

Days following Duterte’s arrest, several motorists drove around the city displaying Philippine flags and pro-Duterte tarpaulins. 

In a statement on March 12, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I  found reasonable grounds to believe that Duterte, jointly with and through other persons, agreed “to kill individuals they identified as suspected criminals or persons having criminal propensities, including but not limited to drug offenders, initially in Davao and subsequently throughout the country.”

The Chamber found that there was an attack directed against a civilian population under an organizational policy while Duterte was the head of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), and under a State policy while he was the President of the Philippines.

Last March 14, Duterte made an initial appearance before the ICC. The ICC set the confirmation of charges hearing for September 23 this year.

Duterte was arrested on March 11 upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong, was detained at Villamor Airbase, and shipped out of the Philippines on the same day.

Flores believes that the Marcos administration played a role in Duterte’s arrest. She said Duterte’s critics should focus on the “good things” that the former President did for the country while he was in office.

Kring Asidor, who hails from Iligan City, said the Marcos administration was “unfair” to Duterte. She said the peace and order condition in Davao City convinced her family to settle here in 2011. 

“To think, dili man to mga inosente (they were not innocent),” Asidor said, referring to the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

She said individuals killed during the drug war were drug addicts and rape or murder suspects.

In Cebuano, said, “I’m so sad. I want to cry. I know how strong Duterte is, how resilient he is, but to think that he’s at his age makes me sad. He’s just like our father. We don’t know what will happen to him,” she said.

Before he was elected President in 2016, Duterte served as OIC vice mayor from 1986 to 1987, mayor from 1988 to 1998, representative of the first district from 1998 to 2001, mayor from 2001 to 2010, vice mayor from 2010 to 2013, and mayor from 2013 to 2016. 

Last Oct. 7, 2024, Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor with his youngest son, incumbent mayor Sebastian Duterte, as vice mayor.

Justice for EJK victims and families

The Atenews, the student publication of the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), was bashed on social media after it published a statement from the Ateneo Publications Alliance, in support of  justice for EJK victims and their families.

The alliance, composed of the Ateneo universities in the country – Atenews of Ateneo de Davao University, The BEACON of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, The Crusader of the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City,  The GUIDON of Ateneo de Manila University and The Pillars of Ateneo de Naga University —  said “impunity, whatever form it may take, must not go unpunished. In memory of all those who fell victim to fascist violence of the Duterte regime, we stand with the families and communities that continue to bear the scars — pressing forward until justice is served.”

It stressed that Duterte’s arrest signifies a step forward in holding his administration accountable for “the tens of thousands of human rights violations and vicious killings through the war on drugs.”

As of Sunday, the Atenews’ post has received numerous hateful comments and attacks from supporters and netizens claiming to be university alumni. The student publication was also red-tagged.

In a statement, Fr. Karel S. San Juan, Sr., Ateneo de Davao University president, said the university recognizes student press freedom as a fundamental pillar of academic discourse and democratic engagement but “with this freedom comes the responsibility to engage in respectful and ethical dialogue.”

San Juan condemned the harassment of the student publication.

“While we encourage critical thinking and fearless journalism, we do not condone bullying, harassment, or red-tagging—especially when directed at our students. These actions have no place in a community dedicated to truth, justice, and intellectual integrity,” he said.

He said the school will always defend the “right to a free and safe press,”  emphasizing that student journalism fosters informed discourse and combats injustice.

He added that student publications maintain editorial independence, and the opinions they express are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the university.

“Difficult conversations unsettle us, but they ignite growth, sharpen understanding, and demand that we confront today’s complex realities. Yet, we remain steadfast in our mission—to form leaders who think critically, question boldly, and serve with compassion,” he said.

In a statement, Cobbie Jan Canda, Kabataan Partylist Southern Mindanao demanded justice for all the EJK victims and accountability for those behind Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.

“The war on drugs is a war against the poor, not a war against the prevalence of illegal drugs in the country; a campaign masqueraded as quelling drug lords, addicts, and pushers, but in reality all he did was tyrannical abuse of his executive powers,” Canda said.

He said that unlike Duterte, victims of his brutal anti-drug police were denied the right to due process.

Duterte’s case, Kabataan said, should be a lesson to all human rights violators that justice would prevail.

“This might be a victory, but this is only the beginning. We, as the youth, must strengthen and expand our base and continue to call for justice and accountability,” he said.

Dr. Jean Lindo, chair of Gabriela Southern Mindanao, added that Duterte’s arrest is an offshoot of  state-sponsored killings and violating 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)