Duterte detention ‘special grace to return to God’ – Bacolod bishop
Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s initial appearance took place on Friday, 14 March 2025, at 14:00 hours (The Hague local time), before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”). ©ICC-CPI
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The bishop of this city has called the continued detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague in Netherlands as a special grace.
Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon, in his homily at the San Sebastian Cathedral on March 23, said Duterte’s imprisonment is more powerful than any spiritual retreat and a time for the country’s former chief executive to return to God.
Duterte turned 80 years old in detention on Friday after being arrested last March 11 under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over allegations of crimes against humanity following the drug war he launched during his stint as president from 2016 to 2022.
READ: Rodrigo Duterte marks 80th birthday in ICC detention
Buzon said the former president is living “on a bonus and borrowed time,” pointing out that the scripture says that the lifespan of a man is 70, and 80 for those who are strong.
“Prison time is a powerful time, more powerful than any spiritual retreat. We can understand why the loyalists of Duterte are moving heaven and earth to get him out of prison. What drives them is, to use their own words, their love for their Tatay Digong,” he said.
But true love, the prelate said, should seek the good of the beloved.
“If they truly love their Tatay Digong, they will do well to leave him in peace where he is now. I strongly believe that his detention in The Hague is a special grace. This could be the last chance for him to return to God,” Buzon said.
The bishop cited how the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. , opposition leader who fought against the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, was totally transformed during his years of isolation in Laur, Nueva Ecija at the height of Martial Law.
READ: Activists wish more birthdays for Duterte so he can see trial’s end
“It was there he found God and realized that his obsession to become president of the Philippines was all vanity and that his higher calling was to give his life for the liberation of his people,” he said.
Buzon also mentioned how St. John of the Cross was unjustly thrown in a dungeon in Toledo, Spain where he was subjected to solitary confinement, mean nutrition, regular flogging, putrid clothing and lice.
He said it was in those dark months that the saint entered a deep mystical experience of God which he committed to writing in what is his now immortal masterpiece, “The Spiritual Canticle.”
“If Duterte’s loyal followers profess undying love for him, they should know that God loves him infinitely more. Duterte is, after all, a child of His,” he said.
“(God wants him to be saved for) God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked rather than that he would turn from his ways and live,” he added.
Buzon believed it is time to put one’s love for country above any political loyalty.
READ: As Duterte turns 80, drug war victims’ kin mourn for missed birthdays
“Blind fanaticism is tearing us apart as a people. The destruction wrought by the barrage of fake news, disinformation, deception and lies that roll out from the pernicious machinery of political trolls affects not only the mind but the very soul of our people,” he said.
“They have become veritable victims of Satan who is ‘a liar and the father of all lies,’” he added.
Buzon said it has been difficult for many people to spot fake news on media platforms.
“We need to be more discerning and learn to fact-check news information, especially from social media. We need to promote media literacy and encourage critical evaluation of online content lest we perish,” he said.
