Duterte’s trial in The Hague and its divisive effect on Filipinos
The former president was flown overnight to be arraigned before the International Criminal Court for “crimes against humanity”. His lawyers, family members and supporters tried to stop his departure. The trial risks further widening the gap between the Duterte and Marcos families ahead of May elections.
Milan (AsiaNews) – Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was detained yesterday morning upon landing in the Philippines in compliance with a request from Interpol following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Mr Duterte was on his way home from a meeting with Philippine workers in Hong Kong.
Despite legal action by Duterte’s lawyers and supporters at the Villamor military airport, the former Philippine president boarded a private flight in the middle of the night, 12 hours after his arrival, and was on his way to The Hague, the headquarters of the ICC to stand trial for “crimes against humanity” he is said to have committed between 2011 and 2019, when he served as mayor of Davao City, southern Philippines’ main metropolis, and as president (2016-2022).
The 79-years-old was elected mayor of Davao City seven times and was poised to be elected for an eighth time in next May’s mayoralty election.
His trial and possible conviction are set to shed light on a series of crimes committed and partly admitted by Duterte himself, including the use of death squads against petty criminals and street kids.
Duterte’s campaigns were notorious for the use of threats and assaults against members of civil society groups and the local Church, who opposed his methods. He eventually applied his methods of governance to the country as a whole, once he was installed in Malacañang Presidential Palace.
In addition to cracking down on domestic opposition and his brutish style and language against his many domestic and international critics, his presidency was marked by populist and divisive policies, above all, his war on drugs, which was one of his administration’s priorities.
This initiative began amid great fanfare at the start of his mandate but then faced increasing opposition from other political parties, NGOs and the Church, undermining to some extent the support he enjoyed among ordinary Filipinos.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), up to 12,000 people were killed in the president’s war on drugs. Other groups put the death toll at much higher. Tens of thousands of alleged drug addicts, drug dealers and traffickers were arrested and crammed in already overcrowded prisons.
Faced with the risk of being called to answer for his actions before an international court, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2018.
The ICC’s arrest warrant cites the killing of 43 people directly attributable to the former president in the period considered, while the number of people estimated to have been killed during Duterte's campaigns is as high as 30,000.
Duterte’s trial is likely to have a divisive impact on Filipinos, given his residual popularity, sustained by his daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte, who is currently the subject of impeachment proceedings by the House of Representatives, only a few months from elections that could become a referendum for or against the former president, his methods and the role that he and his family have had and could still have in the country.
This is also taking on the semblance of a duel between the Duterte clan and the Marcos, a political dynasty that began under the dictatorial rule of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr in the 1960s. His son and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, is the incumbent president while other family members also hold political positions.
The accusation that Marcos did not oppose the extradition could put pressure on his administration in the important midterm elections, but could also reflect on his presidency.
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