Philippines sends Rodrigo Duterte to International Criminal Court

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Former president Rodrigo Duterte takes a government-chartered flight out of the Philippines as he is set to face the International Criminal Court

MANILA, Philippines – Former president Rodrigo Duterte was flown out of the Philippines on Tuesday night, March 11, hours after Philippine authorities implemented the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity committed in his drug war.

He was accompanied by former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, a nurse, and an assistant. The plane took off before 11 pm.

The chartered plane will take him to The Hague in the Netherland, his lawyer, Martin Delgra, told reporters. The plane flew from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, where he was brought after he was served the arrest warrant upon his arrival from Hong Kong Tuesday morning.

Government doctors had checked the former president at NAIA and was found to be in “good health,” Malacañang said in a statement earlier on Tuesday. The President’s daughter Kitty later posted a handwritten note from one of her father’s private doctors that said his blood sugar had shot up, requiring medical attention.

The younger Duterte’s video showed Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Major General Nicolas Torre III talking to Duterte’s counsel and former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea and another woman about a “chartered plane.”

Torre said that they are following obligations under the Interpol, adding that “we can do this the hard way, we can do this the easy way.”

“The easy way, Sir, is for you to choose three people to accompany [Duterte] to the plane. May pass diyan (There’s a pass there) and they will go into the plane,” he said.

Duterte also spoke on Kitty’s Instagram and mentioned “The Hague” as the destination numerous times, saying it is “too far.”

Malacañang earlier confirmed that the Interpol had received from the ICC the arrest warrant early morning of Tuesday before it was served to him.

Duterte is facing allegations of crimes against humanity related to the killings under his bloody war on drugs. His flagship campaign left at least 6,252 dead in police operations alone by May 2022, or a month before the end of his six-year term. The number reached between 27,000 to 30,000, including those killed vigilante-style. 

The ICC issued the warrant through the Interpol almost nine years since it first took notice of the bloodshed in the Philippines, and seven years since the ICC Office of the Prosecutor announced that it had initiated a preliminary examination into the situation. Duterte responded by withdrawing the Philippines from the ICC, which took effect a year later in 2019.

Duterte’s departure from the Philippines marked the end of a whirlwind of events after rumors circulated in relation to the issuance of an ICC warrant. On Tuesday afternoon, Duterte and his allies condemned the alleged violation of due process following his arrest, while his critics highlighted the deaths of thousands in his drug war who were not accorded due process.

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the architect of the drug war, filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the arrest of his long-time ally and former boss. The SC is dominated by Duterte-appointed justices.

Dela Rosa served as Duterte’s police chief both in Davao City and during the early years of his presidency. He is yet to be named in any warrant from the ICC, but was mentioned in an earlier document released by the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor.

In a GMA News interview prior to his arrest, Duterte had said that he was ready to face the ICC and that he “will deal with the problem directly as a lawyer.” 

This has been his messaging throughout his presidency, in which he often urged people to file cases against him. In December 2016, six months into his administration, he said he had nothing to fear in relation to his bloody drug war — not even “rotting in jail” because of an ICC case — since he was only doing what he thought was “best” for the country.

“If I do not interdict now at kung matakot lang akong mag-demanda ‘yang ICC na ‘yan, putangina na ‘yan. (If I do not interdict now and I fear a suit from the ICC, that son of a bitch.) Well, I will rot in jail. And so? That is my contribution to you to protect your sons and daughters,” he said during a speech. – Rappler.com