Opinion | In handing Duterte to ICC, Marcos stirs up Philippine hornets’ nest

Too many questions surround the abrupt U-turn on cooperation with the International Criminal Court, from sovereignty to political persecution

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Police block protesters as they try to march towards Malacanang palace in Manila, Philippines, on March 17 to call on the government to rejoin the ICC after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP

Published: 9:30am, 25 Mar 2025

On March 11, when former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte arrived at Manila airport on a flight from Hong Kong, he was arrested by prosecutors. They acted on an Interpol arrest warrant issued at the behest of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. It alleges Duterte committed “crimes against humanity” during his “war on drugs” when he was Davao City mayor and then president.

The ICC, which prosecutes global crimes, became operational under the Rome Statute in 2002. The Philippines joined in 2011, withdrawing in 2019.

While Duterte was in Hong Kong campaigning with his daughter Sara, the Philippine vice-president, ahead of the midterm senate elections due in May – Hong Kong has a significant Filipino population – he was asked about the warrant and said he “did everything … for the Filipino people”.

Duterte chairs the Philippine Democratic Party (PDP) while his daughter Sara chairs the Alliance for Change (HNP) and both are thorns in the flesh of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

Although Marcos Jnr and Sara were elected together on a dream ticket in 2022, they quickly fell out. This was partly due to Marcos pivoting towards Washington, allowing the United States to open four new military bases (making nine altogether), and confronting Beijing in the South China Sea. As president, Duterte successfully promoted better Sino-Philippine relations, keeping the US at a distance, and father and daughter were dismayed over the policy shifts.

Given their clout, Marcos took no chances. Last month, the House of Representatives, which is controlled by a pro-Marcos coalition (the house speaker, Martin Romualdez, is his cousin), launched impeachment proceedings against Sara. One impeachment article accuses her of failing to “strongly” denounce China’s allegedly aggressive activities against Filipino forces in the South China Sea.