Rodrigo Duterte arrives in The Hague
A plane believed to be carrying former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is parked next to a bus at Rotterdam The Hague Airport in the Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Associated Press
Updated @ 1:05 a.m., March 13, 2025
MANILA, Philippines — A day after his arrest, former President Rodrigo Duterte arrived on a chartered plane in The Hague in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening.
The chartered plane, a Gulfstream 6550 jet with tail no. RPC2519, landed at the Rotterdam The Hague Airport at around 11:55 p.m. after making a refueling stop in Dubai. It left Villamor Air Base in Pasay City around 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
Based on online flight tracker FlightRadar24, Duterte’s flight was monitored by over 30,000 trackers as of 11:56 p.m., making it the number one most tracked flight worldwide.
The former president is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the drug war orchestrated during his administration.
The ICC, based in The Hague, investigates individuals charged with the most concerning crimes in the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague
Upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon served him with a notification of an arrest warrant from the ICC.
Government data shows that the drug war claimed more than 6,000 lives, but human rights watchdogs estimate the death toll to be over 20,000.
EXPLAINER: What’s next after the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, shortly after the ICC launched an investigation into alleged human rights violations during the drug war.
However, the government recently said that it is obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Police Organization once the ICC issues an arrest warrant on Duterte.
The ICC, based in The Hague, said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Duterte committed the crime against humanity of murder as an “indirect co-perpetrator” during the anti-drug campaign that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands.
First Asian ex-head of state to face ICC charges
The 79-year-old is the first Asian former head of state to face charges at the ICC, which rules on the world’s worst crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Once in ICC custody, Duterte will be taken to a detention center before an initial appearance likely to be scheduled in the coming days.
The center, located close to the North Sea coast, offers each prisoner an individual cell equipped with a computer to work on their case, and an outdoor exercise area.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse outside the ICC, Gilbert Andres, a lawyer representing drug war victims, said: “My clients are very thankful to God because their prayers have been answered.”
“The arrest of Rodrigo Duterte is a great signal for international criminal justice. It means that no one is above the law… There will be a day of justice for everyone… even powerful men such as Rodrigo Duterte,” Andres added.
Duterte supporters at detention center
But others came out to support the former leader.
Dozens of pro-Duterte protesters gathered in front of the detention center, unfurling a banner reading: “We are with Duterte” and waving flags.
“There has been no due process,” said caregiver Duds Quibin, 50. “This is kidnapping. They just put him on a plane and brought him here.”
‘Oppression and persecution’
Earlier Wednesday, lawyers filed a petition to the Supreme Court in the Philippines accusing the government of “kidnapping” Duterte and demanding it “bring him back.”
“The ICC can only exercise its jurisdiction if a country’s national legal system is not functioning,” lawyer Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., son of Duterte’s former chief legal counsel, told reporters outside the court, insisting the Philippines’ judicial system was “working properly.”
Before her father’s departure, Vice President Sara Duterte said he was being “forcibly taken to The Hague,” labeling the transfer “oppression and persecution.”
Failed alliance
A one-time alliance between President Ferdinand Marcos and the Duterte family has exploded spectacularly since the 2022 presidential election, when Sara Duterte ran as vice president on his ticket.
She is currently facing a Senate trial on several charges, including corruption and an alleged assassination plot against Marcos.
Duterte himself had earlier taken to social media, claiming the Supreme Court would step in and prevent his transfer.
“What is the crime that I committed? Show to me now the legal basis of my being here,” he said on Instagram live.
‘Rotting at the cemetery’
At a church in the capital Manila, people whose family members were killed in the drug war welcomed the arrest.
“Duterte is fortunate, there’s due process for him,” Emily Soriano, mother of drug war victim Angelito, at a press briefing organised by a local rights group.
“There was no due process for my son. He will be lying down on a good bed. My son is already rotting at the cemetery.”
For Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Duterte’s arrest marked “a critical step for accountability in the Philippines.”
China, however, warned the ICC against “politicization” and “double standards” in the Duterte case, saying it was “closely monitoring” it.
The high-profile case came with the ICC currently under sanctions from Donald Trump.
The US president is unhappy at the court issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged crimes committed during the Gaza war.
‘Davao Death Squad’
The Philippines quit the ICC in 2019 on Duterte’s instructions.
But the tribunal claims jurisdiction over killings up to then, including ones in the southern city of Davao when Duterte was mayor.
The ICC said in its arrest warrant there were “reasonable grounds to believe” at least 19 people had been murdered in Davao by members of the “Davao Death Squad,” headed by Duterte.
Additionally, at least 24 were killed by Philippines police in various locations, judges believe.
On Sunday, Duterte lashed out at the ICC probe, labeling ICC investigators “sons of whores” while saying he would “accept” an arrest.
Duterte is still hugely popular among many who supported his quick-fix solutions to crime and remains a potent political force.
