Rodrigo Duterte, former president of the Philippines for six years, led a notorious war on drugs throughout his tenure. This led to the murder of at least 6,000 drug users, sellers and manufacturers, although the real number could be much higher. Many were killed without trial, and Duterte is now being held in the ICC court for charges linked to murders during his time as Governor and President.
Duterte’s War on Drugs
Angelo Lafuente, a 23-year-old repairman, was seized in a police raid of his neighborhood at 4 p.m. on August 18, 2016. Mere hours later, he was reported dead to his family, who was given images of his body with gunshot wounds. Although people saw him being taken by police, the shooting was blamed on unknown gunmen. This is only one of over six thousand who have died during Duterte’s War on Drugs, although some warn the true number of casualties could run much higher.
Duterte’s emphatic anti-drug rhetoric was often seen as encouragement for police agencies to kill drug users. Indeed, Duterte himself said that he hired a death squad during his time as mayor of Davao and that he told police to encourage suspects to fight back so they could justify killings as self-defense.
Duterte and his supporters also went after opponents to the war on drugs so that no meaningful resistance remained. The most vocal and powerful critic of Duterte, Senator Leila de Lima, was removed from her chair on the Senate Committee for Justice and Human Rights in September of 2016. This move came shortly after she called for an investigation into the rampant drug war killings. The hearings themselves prompted even further pushback from Duterte’s crowd, with Duterte himself going so far as to say de Lima should “hang herself” and then arresting her in February 2017 for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act.
ICC Charges
Duterte’s presidency ended in 2022, and the ICC filed for an arrest warrant against him in February of 2025 for the crimes against humanity including murder, torture and rape. The warrant was officially issued in March, and Duterte was arrested pursuant the warrant by authorities in the Philippines before being surrendered to the ICC.
Officially, Duterte has been charged 3 times: the first charge is with regards to his time as mayor of Davao and his involvement in the murder of 19 people between 2013 and 2016. His second charge is during his time of presidency with the murder of 14 high value targets across the Philippines, while his third charge is from the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in operations related to clearing out villages and evidence.
In his testimony in front of the Senate, Duterte admitted to and defended his Drug War, while also emphasizing that he never asked his police force to murder suspects directly but instead to encourage fighting back so killings could be justified as self-defense. This hearing was impactful, as Duterte was finally required to explain his actions and involvement in the violence around his country.
Testimony was heard from family members of those killed, and the accused were allowed in the court to face Duterte. Duterte offered no apologies for his involvement in the war on drugs.
Political Impact and Infighting
There are issues with the ongoing trial, including that Duterte still holds considerable power, and regardless of how legitimate the trial is, it may be perceived in the Philippines as more of a political maneuver than a means for justice and accountability. Also, interestingly, by surrendering Duterte to international courts, the Philippines is no longer able to pursue him within their own jurisdiction.
The current president of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., could have easily ignored the ICC warrant for Duterte’s arrest and decided not surrender him. It seems entirely possible that Marcos Jr. decided to give up Duterte because of recent bad blood between Marcos Jr. and Duterte. This feud happened because while Duterte and his allies helped current President Marcos Jr. secure his position in 2022, they have since begun criticizing his rule, with Duterte himself calling him a “weak leader” and publicly criticizing him.
While having the chance to put Duterte on trial is a large step forward for the ICC, this is only possible because of the willingness of the Philippines to cooperate. Duterte still has considerable popularity and political power in the Philippines, and he was even elected mayor of Davao again in May, despite being held in prison. Given his current popularity and the clash between large political figures in the Philippines, many politicians are remaining quiet or reserved with their remarks about the current situation.
Holding Duterte accountable for his actions is a huge accomplishment for the ICC, and time will tell what effects this will have on the international scale. While we have seen that there is some accountability and power through the ICC, there are also many questions about the impacts this will have on the Filipino political landscape. The hearing for Duterte has been postponed due to his poor health, but the trial shows that there is still hope for justice and answers for those affected by the war on drugs.
