Rodrigo Duterte takes oath in a senate inquiry on the war on drugs at the Philippine Senate on Oct 28, 2024. (CFP Photo)
“This will be a long legal proceeding. But I say to you, I will continue to serve my country. And so be it, if that is my destiny,” noted the 79-year-old former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The statement came in a more than two-minute clip recorded during his trip to The Hague on March 12 for a trial of alleged crimes against humanity when launching an anti-drug war during his tenure as Philippine President, as accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Also, Duterte noted that he was the one who led law enforcement and military and would be responsible for all of the affair.
On March 11, Philippine media reported that Rodrigo Duterte was detained by police after arriving at Manila International Airport following his return from abroad that day. The International Criminal Police Organization had previously issued a red warrant for Duterte based on the detention order of the ICC.
Sara Duterte, current Vice President of the Philippines and the eldest daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, left for the Netherlands in the morning of March 12. She had previously voiced that her father was "forcibly taken" to The Hague and accused it of political oppression.
Supporters of Duterte gather outside The Hague Penitentiary Institution on Mar 12, 2025, The Hague. (CFP Photo)
Duterte's iron fist on anti-drug policy
Due to his iron-fist approach to anti-drug policy, Duterte triggered great attention domestically and abroad.
After taking office in 2016, he made drug eradication a priority and launched a large-scale anti-drug campaign. Although these actions were controversial, he said he would never back down.
Prior to his presidency, while serving as mayor of Davao City, he waged a long-term crackdown on local drug cartels.
The anti-drug campaign won Duterte public support. According to a poll released by Philippine polling agency Social Weather Stations in December 2016, 77% of Filipinos were satisfied with Duterte's performance.
Sara Duterte greets her father after taking her oath as the next Vice President on June 19, 2022 in Davao. (CFP Photo)
A power struggle between two clans
Despite the presidential system established by imitating the American political system since the independence of the Philippines, its core has never been separated from clan politics.
At the central government level, the Marcos and Duterte clans are the leaders of Philippine politics and the representatives of the interests of various clans across the country.
Born into a political clan, Duterte's father served as the governor of Davao del Sur Province. Duterte was mayor of Davao City for over two decades until he was elected president of the Philippines in 2016.
In October 2021, Duterte announced that he would withdraw from politics and abandon his plan to run for vice president in the 2022 national election. Analysts pointed out that his move was paving the way for his daughter, Sara, then mayor of Davao City.
The two clans reached a cooperation in the 2022 presidential election, with Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. as president and Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte as vice president.
However, in the early days of the cooperation, this alliance had cleavages over the allocation of cabinet seats and appointments. In 2023, the House of Representatives removed Sara's ally, former President Arroyo, from the position of deputy speaker, irritating Sara and publicly accusing Marcos' allies for the first time.
The House of Representatives correspondingly launched an investigation into Sara's secret funds and passed three resolutions urging the Philippine government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court to investigate former President Duterte's war on drugs.
As a result, the relationship between the two clans deteriorated.
Sara publicly stated that she had never been friends with the Marcos clan in September last year and announced that she would run for the presidential election in the fourth quarter of 2026, clarifying that she would no longer ally with the Marcos clan.
Earlier in February this year, the House of Representatives impeached Sara, accusing her of violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other crimes. If convicted, Sara will become the first vice president in Philippine history to be impeached and removed from office.
According to the Rome Statute, Duterte will be sentenced to no more than 30 years. The Philippines was a member of the ICC, but the country dropped out of the organization in 2019.
Reporter: Zhang Ruijun
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He
