THE Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has confirmed the issuance of an arrest warrant against former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement, the PCO said the International Criminal Police Organization Manila (Interpol) received the copy of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Duterte on Tuesday dawn, March 11, 2025.
Interpol Manila officials served the arrest warrant upon Duterte’s arrival in Manila from Hong Kong around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday.
(Upon his arrival, the Prosecutor General served the ICC notification for an arrest warrant against the former President for crimes against humanity.)
“Ang dating Pangulo at ang kanyang grupo ay nasa mabuting kalusugan at sinuri ng mga doctor ng gobyerno. Sinigurado na siya ay nasa maayos na kalagayan. Ang mga opisyal ng PNP na nagpatupad ng warrant ay tiniyak na may suot na body camera. Sa ngayon, nasa kustodiya na siya ng mga kinauukulan,” it added.
(The former President and his group are in good health and have been examined by government doctors. It was ensured that he is in proper condition. The PNP officials who executed the warrant were equipped with body cameras. As of now, he is in the custody of the authorities.)
As per reports, Duterte was brought to the Villamor Airbase. He was escorted by top ranking police officials.
Duterte and former chief Philippine National Police now Senator Ronald dela Rosa were under probe by the ICC over the alleged crime against humanity in the country from November 2011 to March 2019 during the implementation of the latter’s drug war in Davao City and later all throughout the country.
The former chief executive earlier said he is taking full responsibility over the killings committed during the drug war.
The ICC launched an investigation on drug killings under Duterte from November 1, 2011, when he was still mayor of Davao City, to March 16, 2019, as possible crimes against humanity. Duterte withdrew the Philippines in 2019 from the Rome Statute in a move human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability over the killings.
The Duterte administration moved to suspend the global court’s investigation in late 2021 by arguing that Philippine authorities were already looking into the same allegations, arguing the ICC — a court of last resort — didn’t have jurisdiction.
Appeals judges at the ICC ruled in July 2023 the investigation could resume and rejected the Duterte administration’s objections.
Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICC can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects in the most heinous international crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022 and became entangled in a bitter political dispute with the former President, has decided not to rejoin the global court. But the Marcos administration has said it would cooperate if the ICC asks international police to take Duterte into custody through a so-called Red Notice, a request for law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily arrest a crime suspect. (TPM/With AP/SunStar Philippines)