Duterte ready to accept ‘fate’ if ICC issues warrant
HONG KONG/MANILA—Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said in Hong Kong that he was ready for possible arrest amid reports the International Criminal Court (ICC) was poised to issue a warrant over his yearslong “war on drugs” that killed thousands.
The “war on drugs” was the signature campaign policy that swept Duterte to power in 2016 as a maverick, crime-busting mayor, who delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of narcotics dealers.
The office of incumbent President Marcos said on Monday no official communication had been received from Interpol yet, but indicated Duterte could be handed over. (See related story on this page.)
“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,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters.
It was not immediately clear how long Duterte would stay in China-ruled Hong Kong—which is not a party to the ICC. Duterte was in the city to speak at a campaign rally attended by thousands of Filipino workers, hoping to boost support for his political party’s senatorial candidates in upcoming midterm elections.
“Assuming it’s (warrant) true, why did I do it? For myself? For my family? For you and your children, and for our nation,” Duterte told the rally, justifying his brutal antinarcotics campaign.
‘Private holiday’
“If this is truly my fate in life, it’s okay, I will accept it. They can arrest me, imprison me.
“What is my sin? I did everything in my time for peace and a peaceful life for the Filipino people,” he told the cheering crowds in Hong Kong’s downtown Southorn Stadium, appearing with his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
An elite Hong Kong police unit for protecting VIPs was stationed in the vicinity of the hotel where Duterte is staying, according to a Reuters witness.
But a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry Commissioner’s Office in Hong Kong said they were aware of the visit and the rally had been “applied for in advance in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.”
“It is understood that Mr. Duterte and Ms. [Sara’s] visit to Hong Kong is a private holiday,” the spokesperson said.
The Hong Kong government’s security bureau and police gave no immediate response to a request for comment.
The Philippines’ presidential office dismissed speculation that Duterte might evade the law by visiting Hong Kong, while appealing to Duterte’s supporters to allow the legal process to take its course.
During a congressional hearing last year into his bloody crackdown on drugs, Duterte said he was not scared of the ICC and told it to “hurry up” on its investigation.
The firebrand Duterte unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s founding treaty in 2019 when it started looking into allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings.
More recently, the Philippines has signaled it is ready to cooperate with the investigation in certain areas.
