‘Closer to justice’ or ‘unlawful detention’: Lawmakers, ex-officials react to Ex-President Duterte’s arrest

Metro Manila, Philippines - Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest on Tuesday, March 11, has prompted various reactions among lawmakers, former officials, and rights groups, with some calling the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant a “critical step for accountability” while allies of the ex-chief executive called the action “unlawful.”

The arrest comes as the Palace announced that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Manila received an official copy of ICC’s arrest warrant against Duterte for crimes against humanity enforced during his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

Among those who lauded the arrest include former Senator Leila de Lima, a known critic of the Duterte administration who was detained for almost seven years for fabricated drug war cases.

“I faced my case, knowing I was innocent. I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide,” she said.

“Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law. This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else,” De Lima added.

Former Senator Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV, also a vocal critic of Duterte, welcomed the arrest, thanking supporters and advocates who sought for justice for the drug war’s extrajudicial killing victims.

Human Rights Watch, Karapatan, and Gabriela Partylist also shared the same sentiments, welcoming the arrest seen as a “long-overdue” step towards accountability.

“His arrest could bring victims and their families closer to justice and sends the clear message that no one is above the law,” Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Bryony Lau said in a statement.

‘Unlawful arrest’

While human rights advocates see the arrest on ICC charges as a victory, some lawmakers and ex-officials on Duterte’s side raised questions on its legality.

“It’s unlawful arrest.” ex-chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo claimed in a statement. “It is an illegal arrest because the ICC arrest warrant comes from a spurious source, the ICC, which has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.”

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and former labor chief Silvestre Bello, who were present during Duterte’s arrival from Hong Kong, said the former chief executive was arrested but insisted that they have not seen a copy of the warrant.

Known Duterte ally and SAGIP Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta also defended the ex-president, insisting that the war on drugs was a system that the country needed.

“‘Yung kanyang pag durog sa mga gumagamit ng droga ay isang pamamaraan ng isang presidente para isagawa niya alam niyang makakabuti sa bansa,” he said. “Kung ina-akala ng iba na ‘yun ay mali, nasakanila ‘yun.”

[Translation: His way of eliminating drug users is a method that a president carries out because he knows it will benefit the country…If others think that's wrong, that's on them.]

Duterte earlier laughed off rumors of the arrest warrant against him, taking a defiant stance before Filipino supporters at an event in Hong Kong on Sunday.

The former president is under police custody at the Villamor Airbase.