“Hold Duterte accountable!” was the resounding cry of various democratic organizations in the Philippines and overseas in demonstrations following former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest on March 11 for the crime against humanity, particular of murder. The arrest of Duterte was carried out based on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The arrest was conducted by Philippine National Police personnel at the request of the International Criminal Police Commission (Interpol).

Duterte was served the warrant at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 upon his arrival from Hong Kong before noon on March 11. He was taken to Villamor Airbase in Pasay City for medical examination and processing of papers. He was flown to The Hague, Netherlands in the evening. He was placed under ICC custody on March 12 and is now detained at the ICC detention facility.

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor requested the warrant for charges of crimes against humanity in the case of murder, rape and torture from the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber 1 on February 10. This ICC prosecution’s step follows years of investigation and evidence gathering against Duterte.

On March 7, after reviewing the documents submitted by the prosecution, Pre-Trial Chamber 1 issued a secret arrest warrant against Duterte for being an indirect perpetrator of the crime against humanity of murder allegedly committed between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019. It was signed by Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera.

The warrant stipulates that Duterte was involved in the killings as the founder and leader of the Davao Death Squad while Davao City mayor and subsequently as Philippine president. Duterte’s personnel carried out extrajudicial killings in the name of the “war on drugs.”

The arrest of Duterte was welcomed by groups, especially relatives of victims of the bloody war on drugs, activists and others killed in the name of Duterte’s terrorist state. “My happiness is immeasurable, along with tears of joy at Duterte’s arrest,” Nanay Dahlia Cuartero, mother of a victim of the war on drugs and member of Rise Up Mothers, said.

Jane Lee, wife of another victim, said Duterte’s arrest had her emotions mixed. “I’m crying, I really want to see him (Duterte) imprisoned. They should pay for what they did to us. He was only arrested by the police while our relatives were killed immediately. There’s a huge difference between the powerful and ordinary people like us,” she said.

The victims’ lawyer and Bayan Muna chairman Atty. Neri Colmenares said Duterte’s arrest is a historic moment for human rights in the Philippines. “After years of impunity, we are finally seeing concrete steps toward accountability,” the lawyer said.

He reminded that the road to full justice is still long but Duterte’s arrest is a significant milestone. “It gives hope to thousands of families who lost their loved ones,” he stated.

On the afternoon of March 11, protests were launched across the country. More than 500 gathered to call for justice at Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City led by families of victims, not only of the war on drugs, but of the Duterte regime’s policy of killing activists.

Actions, mostly led by youth groups, were also held in La Union, Baguio City, Pasig City, Laguna, Tarlac, Iloilo City, and Cebu City. Students also mobilized inside the campuses of University of the Philippines (UP) in Los Baños, Diliman, Manila, and Mindanao; Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila, University of Sto. Tomas, De La Salle University, and Ateneo de Manila University.

Filipino migrants in many parts of the world also stood against Duterte. Protests were held in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries. Progressive organizations marched to the ICC office in The Hague to call for accountability coinciding with Duterte’s arrival at the facility.

Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) reminded that Duterte’s arrest is not simply a matter of “political rivalry” between the Marcoses and Dutertes as painted by Duterte’s supporters. “Marcos is not the hero and Duterte is not the victim in this story. The real victims are the families who lost loved ones and the Filipino people. The real heroes are the mothers who fought this case despite the obstacles created by the Marcos administration,” Bayan president Renato Reyes said.

Duterte is scheduled to appear before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I judges on March 14 at exactly 2:00 pm in the Netherlands (evening in the Philippines). In this hearing, Duterte’s identity will be confirmed, the charges filed against him will be declared and his rights under the ICC will be explained.

In line with this, groups led by Karapatan and Bayan scheduled protest actions to hold Duterte accountable. The actions will be launched in the Philippines and overseas.