Duterte takes responsibility for drug war, braces for long ICC battle

Metro Manila, Philippines - Former President Rodrigo Duterte said he will take responsibility for all wrongdoings of his administration’s police and military during the bloody drug war.

In a video taken before his flight landed at Rotterdam, Netherlands, Duterte said he will “protect” the supposed erring officers who followed orders in line with his nationwide systematic war on drugs.

“Ako ang managot, so ito na nga,” Duterte said. “Whatever happened in the past, ako na ‘yung nag-front sa ating law enforcement pati military. Sinabi ko na ‘I will protect you,’ and I will. Ako ang managot sa lahat.”

[Translation: I will take responsibility and here it is…Whatever happened in the past, I was at the front of our law enforcement and military. I told them, ‘I will protect you,’ and I will. I will take responsibility for everything.]

Philippine security escorts turned Duterte over to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) early Thursday morning (Philippine time) following his arrest upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In a statement, the ICC said the 79-year-old former leader will be presented before an ICC judge in The Hague in the following days for his initial appearance.

Duterte is at a detention unit on the Dutch coast.

“This will be a long legal proceedings. But I say to you, I will continue to serve the country, (and) so be it, kung ganoon ang destiny ko [if that is my destiny],” he said.

The former president is the first Asian leader to stand trial at the ICC.

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity over drug war extrajudicial killings (EJKs) when he was Davao City mayor in 2011 up to March 2019 when he opted out of the Rome Statute, a treaty that created the ICC.

The ICC probe includes Duterte’s hand in alleged EJKs through the so-called Davao Death Squad that began during his term as Davao City mayor and throughout his early years as president.

Based on human rights records, the drug war death toll reached around 30,000.