Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, has fled to Hong Kong amid growing speculation that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is preparing to issue an arrest warrant against him over his controversial anti-drug campaign. Duterte, who led a bloody war on drugs during his presidency, declared that he would accept imprisonment but insisted that his actions were for the good of the country.
The Philippine government, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has acknowledged the rumors of an ICC warrant and stated that it is “prepared” for any legal developments. However, no official confirmation has been made by the ICC. Duterte and his daughter, Sara Duterte, the recently impeached vice president, traveled to Hong Kong, officially to attend an election rally for expatriate Filipino voters.
Addressing a crowd of supporters in Hong Kong, Duterte delivered a fiery, expletive-laden speech in which he downplayed the potential arrest. “I heard there’s an arrest warrant for me,” he told the crowd. “If this is really my fate in life, that’s OK, I will accept it. If I’m arrested, if I’m jailed, so be it. In the meantime, contribute something, even five or ten dollars, so that when I get out of prison, you can build me a monument next to José Rizal.”
Duterte’s war on drugs, which officially resulted in 6,200 deaths, is believed by human rights organizations to have killed more than twice that number, including innocent bystanders and children. Reports suggest that many victims were shot at close range, bound, and showed signs of torture. Duterte himself has boasted in the past about personally killing suspected criminals when he was mayor of Davao.
Expressing defiance against the ICC, Duterte mocked the court, saying, “This motherf****** ICC or something has been after me for a long time. Assuming what you hear is true, why did I do it? For myself? For my family? No, for you and your children, for our country. What is my fault? I just did everything during my time to bring some peace and security to the lives of Filipinos.”
The political drama surrounding the Duterte family has intensified as his daughter, Sara Duterte, faces political turmoil of her own. The impeached vice president is under scrutiny for allegedly hiring an assassin to kill President Marcos. The accusation has deepened the rift between the Duterte and Marcos families, once powerful allies who played a pivotal role in securing electoral victory in the last Philippine elections.
Meanwhile, Marcos’s government has signaled that it will not obstruct any potential ICC arrest if Duterte returns to the Philippines. “Our law enforcers are ready to follow what law dictates if the warrant of arrest needs to be served because of a request from Interpol,” government spokeswoman Claire Castro stated.
Duterte’s escape to Hong Kong highlights the uncertainty surrounding his fate, as well as the evolving political landscape in the Philippines. Whether the ICC will officially issue an arrest warrant remains to be seen, but for now, the former president remains beyond its jurisdiction.
