Day of reckoning comes for Duterte
Finally, the much-awaited day of reckoning has come, as former president Rodrigo Duterte was escorted by police and an International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) representative upon his arrival from Hong Kong yesterday, and marched off to police custody at the Villamor Air Base.
Duterte is facing investigation for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC), for the thousands of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) committed during his brutal war on drugs. While the current administration has repeatedly declared noncooperation with the ICC, saying it no longer has jurisdiction over the country after Duterte’s withdrawal of Philippine membership in 2019, Marcos administration officials lately said they will work with the Interpol to maintain reciprocal relations on law enforcement. The ICC, which retains jurisdiction over crimes committed during a country’s period of membership, coursed the warrant through Interpol.
The sight of the self-confessed killer chewing gum to appear nonchalant while being flanked by dozens of arresting officers—away from his rabid supporters and enablers—is a satisfying scene that’s a long time coming. It is overdue retribution for the summary killings of at least 6,000 drug suspects (closer to 20,000, according to rights groups) that started even when Duterte was Davao mayor in 2011 all the way to his six years in Malacañang.
Lack of remorse
In fact, then Human Rights commissioner Leila de Lima’s investigation of such killings in Davao led to the Duterte administration’s fabricated drug-related charges against the former senator, and her almost seven years’ incarceration until her acquittal in 2024. “Today, Duterte is being made to answer—not to me, but to the victims, to their families, to a world that refuses to forget. This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course,” De Lima said.
A statement from Malacañang meanwhile stressed how due process—routinely denied EJK victims—was strictly observed in the Duterte arrest, with the Prosecutor General serving the ICC notification for the arrest warrant, government doctors examining Duterte before his custody, and the police wearing body cameras to ensure integrity of the process. The methodical manner by which authorities implemented the arrest deserves praise after Duterte’s departure for Hong Kong earlier raised fears of a hasty escape.
Duterte’s arrest, a pivotal point to demonstrate accountability and rule of law is a slap in the face of the former president’s arrogant claims to absolute power during his term and lack of remorse for the killings, as seen by his defiant and unrepentant stance during the House quad committee hearings on the drug war.
Reign of terror
As he brazenly declared during the hearing: “Do not question my policies, because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether you believe it or not, I did it for my country.” The sense of impunity was evident as well when he said that he had ordered police to encourage criminals to fight back and resist arrest, so their killing could be justified as self-defense.
As noted by rights lawyer Chel Diokno, “For decades, Duterte thought himself untouchable—above the law, beyond accountability. But history catches up with even the most ruthless despots. His reign of terror must meet its inevitable end: his conviction.”
What happens next after the arrest remains to be seen, and the battle is far from over. The government must let the wheels of justice turn smoothly and run unimpeded. Duterte must be turned over to ICC custodial facilities posthaste before his allies use his arrest to foment political instability and drum up sympathy votes for his cohorts in the coming elections. The ICC, for its part, must issue similar arrest warrants for his co-accused before they flee the country to evade the law.
Watershed moment
While Duterte and his ilk are given their day in court, witnesses, including the families of EJK victims and their counsel, must prepare assiduously to pin down the authors and implementers of the bloody anti-narcotics campaign. They must secure from House records as well the incriminating testimonies of former drug operatives who spoke of drug reward money, the killings of jailed drug lords, and the widespread complicity to cover up other crimes related to EJK.
Having forfeited the opportunity to put Duterte on trial in Philippine courts, the government must seize this watershed moment to change the trajectory of the country’s politics. It’s a historic, if shameful moment—the first Philippine president to face arrest and investigation by the international court for horrific crimes against the Filipino people. Adherence to the rule of law shores up our reputation in the international community, and deters other leaders from flagrantly abusing their power.
For too long, Duterte has sown fear and impunity as the “Punisher.” Let him taste justice behind bars in The Hague.
