The Meaning of Rodrigo Duterte’s Arrest

Time.com ^ | March 3, 2025 | Chad de Guzman

[GLDNGUN]

March 11 was a day of reckoning. Fresh off a plane at the Manila international airport, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was flanked and detained under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

[GLDNGUN]

What a crazy "House of Cards" story.

Rodrigo Duterte was President of the Philippines from 2016 - 2022 and before that, long-time mayor of Davao City.

He was called “Asia’s Trump” and elected as President by a landslide on the promise of a no-holds-barred crackdown on criminality, especially drugs. Some suggest he's responsible for the deaths of up to 30,000 Filipinos.

He provoked outrage around the globe, but he remained popular at home even after he left office.

His daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, was elected Vice President in 2022 in a landslide victory alongside President Marcos Jr., himself the son of a former dictator who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986.

But the two families fell out over a power struggle. The Philippines House of Representatives impeached the daughter but didn't remove her from office and she still serves as VP to the President as the 2 families are at war.

A recent poll shows Duterte-Carpio as the leading candidate for the next presidential election due in 2028, and the elder Duterte is the leading candidate in seeking to reclaim his post as mayor of Davao City in midterm elections in May.

The Marcos government just had Rodrigo Duterte arrested in Manilla on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for alleged "crimes against humanity" during his deadly crackdown on drugs. He was put on a flight to The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based.

If convicted, he would be transferred to a prison in a state with which the ICC has a sentencing agreement, which would not be the Philippines since Duterte removed the Philippines from the ICC while he was president in 2019.

Current president Marcos Marcos had previously refused to cooperate with the ICC on its probe against Duterte, but but did reversal 2 months ago and said he would “respond favorably” if the ICC seeks an Interpol arrest warrant.

Instead of Marcos arresting and trying Duterte in the Philippines, he "outsourced" to the ICC. The reason is obvious.

First, he probably doubted he could get a conviction in the Philippines due to Duterte's popularity. If Marcos had convicted and sentenced Duterte to prison in the Philippines, he no doubt feared that would make the Duterte's that much more popular and more likely to win upcoming elections, which would eventually lead to Duterte's release from prison.

What a horrible precedent to set. Arrest your political opponent and hand him over to an international organization your country isn't even a member to, in order to keep him locked up, even if elected president.

I'm surprised the Biden administration didn't try something like this with Trump.

Imagine if in the near future with Duterte in an ICC prison, his daughter is elected president and demands his father's release and they refuse.

[Macoozie]

Duterte cleaned up a vicious underworld.
Made many areas safe again.
Saved millions of lives getting drugs & criminals under a bit of control.

He was praised by the law abiding masses.

Like some other leaders questioned for their work, namely Bukele & Bolsinaro, it ain’t America.
They do things differently there.

The Globalists don’t like anybody questioning their rule.

[Jonty30]

My Filipino friend has informed that the Philippines has been selling its gold off under Marcos, but I don’t know to who.

[ifinnegan]

Duterte is a bad guy and deserves whatever he gets.

ICC is of course corrupt and illegitimate.

Philippines is using it to prosecute Duterte it seems.

[PGR88]

Who gives power to ICC to kidnap and imprison politicians of sovereign nations?

It sounds like pure Brussels-EU-globohomo

[E. Pluribus Unum]

My Filipino friend has informed that the Philippines has been selling its gold off under Marcos, but I don’t know to who.

It would almost certainly be China.

[GLDNGUN]

They do things differently there.

I'm sure they do. If Duterte is suspected of crimes in the Philippines, he should be tried by a jury of his peers.

A president of a country who outsources judicial authority to an organization outside of the country to kidnap and imprison a political opponent is guilty of sedition or treason in my mind.

If/when a Duterte becomes president, it will likely be Marcos going to jail. Or worse. And it won't be at the hands of the ICC.

[Flag_This]

An earlier Marcos just had his political rival shot at the airport.

[jjotto]

ICC is in The Hague, and is subject to the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, known informally as The Hague Invasion Act.

[Verginius Rufus]

Yes, Benigno Aquino was assassinated at the airport in 1983. At least “Bongbong” Marcos didn’t do that to Duterte.

[Organic Panic]

NOW DO XI!!!

[freebilly]

Having hit men providing extra legal assassinations of thugs, criminals, AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE CRIMINALS, is just a bit abhorrent, don’t you think?

[Macoozie]

“Having hit men providing extra legal assassinations of thugs, criminals, AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE CRIMINALS, is just a bit abhorrent, don’t you think?”

If the Criminals un-alived my family member, I would do exactly what Duterte did.
Wouldn’t you?

Then bulldoze the house.
Pave the lot.
And post a sign : “Yep, I did that”.

[sauropod]

.

[freebilly]

Just hope for your mom’s, sister’s, brother’s, and childrens’ sake you never kill someone....

[buwaya]

So I have a dump of news, opinion and rumors out of Manila and Davao.

1. Looks like Duterte is in trouble in his mayoral run. Polls are running against him and he’s losing powerful supporters - call this a semi-rumor. Significance- this ends his presidential ambitions if true.

2. A series of long stories out of Hong Kong. Duterte is said to have attempted an asylum flight to Hong Kong, wherein he attempted to pull $2 Billion from a bank - origins unknown. The Chinese authorities stopped him, and sent him to Shanghai. Xi himself intervened, refused asylum, and ordered that any repatriation flight only go to the Philippines. The money is allegedly bribe money from when the Chinese wanted him to arrange a sale of islands to China, back when Duterte was riding high. Xi is miffed that he took the money and produced nothing. Total rumors.