By Jinky Jorgio
Manila--Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who gained global notoriety for his brutal war on drugs, was arrested in Manila today to face charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.
The Presidential Communications Office confirmed that Interpol Manila received the official copy of the arrest warrant from ICC early morning today.
Duterte and his entourage arrived in Manila from Hong Kong aboard Cathay Pacific CX 907 at 9:20 a.m. today.
Upon his arrival, the prosecutor general filed an ICC notification for an arrest warrant against the former president for crimes against humanity.
Officers from the Philippine National Police executed the warrant. As of press time, Duterte was in the custody of the authorities and being held at Villamor Air Force Base in Pasay City.
A chartered Learjet that is reportedly set to transport Duterte to The Hague has arrived at Villamor Air Base. Authorities are now verifying whether the plane has priority status for departure today.
Duterte served as president from 2016 to 2022.
According to a U.N. report, the death toll of Duterte’s bloody crackdown on drugs reached more than 6,000 people, who were who were gunned down by the police or unknown assailants.
Known for his crass language and fiery rhetoric, Duterte gave the police force a blanket authority to raid houses and arrest suspects without any warrant.
An underground group, known as “the death squad,” which allegedly hailed from Davao where Duterte served as mayor for almost 20 years, carried out the brutal order.
According to the latest official statistics, Duterte’s anti-drug campaign killed 6,248 suspected drug dealers and users between July 2016 and April 2022. Human rights groups, however, believe the number could reach as high as 30,000.
Critics said the ruthless campaign targeted street-level pushers from the urban poor sector, while big-time drug lords remained scot-free.
The victims' families said their sons, brothers and husbands received the fatal bullets because they were "simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
During his presidency, Duterte used his power to go after critics who dared cross his administration.
Sen. Leila De Lima, a sitting senator in 2016, was arrested over fabricated allegations that she was a “drug coddler.” She faced charges that were based on made-up claims by drug lords serving their time at the national penitentiary.
All charges were dropped and De Lima was freed after more than seven years in jail.
"Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do and whether or not you believe it, I did it for my country," Duterte told a parliament investigation in October last year. "I hate drugs, make no mistake about it."
The ICC first took note of the human rights abuses in 2016 and began its investigation in 2021, covering incidents from November 2011, when Duterte was mayor of Davao, to March 2019, before the Philippines withdrew from the ICC.
Antonio Trillanes III, a former senator, was the first to file a complaint against Duterte before the ICC.
Former members of the "death squad, as well as police officers Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lacanas, were among the witnesses against Duterte.
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