All posts tagged: Dutertes

Duterte’s drug war enforcer urges Philippine president to block ICC arrest

Duterte’s drug war enforcer urges Philippine president to block ICC arrest

Published by Sam Flores

“AVOIDING ARREST” The senator had not been seen publicly since November before emerging on Monday to take part in an unexpected vote that helped Duterte loyalists capture control of the Senate. Video released by the legislative body showed Dela Rosa being chased through the halls of the upper chamber by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officers. On Tuesday, NBI director Melvin Matibag told reporters Dela Rosa had travelled to the Senate in the car of a fellow lawmaker, then bolted when approached by two agents attempting to serve a warrant. He also denied that Dela Rosa had been “tackled and wrestled”, saying the senator had tripped on the stairs while being pursued. “He was literally avoiding arrest,” Matibag said. “I was asked why there was a chase. I said he ran, that’s why we chased him.” Newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Monday that Dela Rosa was under the Senate’s protection. “We will allow an arrest under the condition that it is a Philippine court,” Cayetano said. Asked Tuesday if he …

Philippine senator flees ICC arrest over role in Duterte’s drug war | Rodrigo Duterte News

Philippine senator flees ICC arrest over role in Duterte’s drug war | Rodrigo Duterte News

Published by Sam Flores

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa has evaded a drug war warrant against him. Published On 11 May 202611 May 2026 A senator from the Philippines has taken refuge inside the country’s parliament after the International Criminal Court unsealed an arrest warrant regarding his role in the Philippines’ deadly drug war. Ronald Dela Rosa was pictured by local media fleeing into the Senate building on Monday, as police sought to detain him. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The warrant, which had been held under seal since November, was spurred by the former police chief’s role in ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, which prosecutors ‌say killed tens of thousands during his time in office in 2016-2022. The ICC confirmed on Monday evening that the warrant had been issued confidentially on November 6. It charges Dela Rosa as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in the “crime against humanity of murder”. The former police chief is accused of responsibility for killings carried out between July 2016 and April 2018. Fleeing Duterte is accused of having created, funded and …

Rodrigo Duterte’s Path to The Hague

Rodrigo Duterte’s Path to The Hague

Published by Sam Flores

Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in 2016 on the promise that he would kill. He framed his war in moral terms: Drug users transgressed the laws of society, but the justice system was so broken and so corrupt that they evaded punishment. Due process stood in the way of keeping the innocent and the virtuous safe. He sneered at spineless elites unable to rein in drugs and crime and pledged to achieve swift justice instead. Once in office, he made good on that promise, moving from rhetoric to action. He singled out crystal meth, the poor man’s narcotic, as a particular problem. Shabu, he said, shrinks users’ brains so that they “are no longer viable as human beings in this planet.” Users therefore deserved to die. Government tallies put the number of drug suspects killed during Duterte’s time in office at about 6,000. But human-rights groups claim that the number of extrajudicial killings may be as high as 30,000. Many of my fellow Filipinos thought that the carnage was justified. They saw …

Duterte’s drug war faces judgement at the ICC | Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte’s drug war faces judgement at the ICC | Rodrigo Duterte

Published by Sam Flores

Listen to this article | 6 mins info As world institutions wobble, The Hague has unexpectedly become the stage for a reckoning long denied in the Philippines. Proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in late February offered a rare glimpse of accountability at a moment when global norms feel increasingly fragile. The court held a hearing in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to confirm charges for crimes against humanity committed during the so‑called “war on drugs”. For the families of those killed in the “drug war” watching tearfully from the public gallery, this hearing marked the first real step towards justice after years of violence, denial, and dehumanisation of their loved ones. As a Filipino lawyer and counsel for the victims, Joel Butuyan, told the court, “Truth is the antidote to the virus of impunity.” A three-judge panel – women from Romania, Mexico and Benin – heard arguments from prosecutors, victims’ counsel, and Duterte’s defence lawyer. Their task was not to determine guilt, but to assess whether there is sufficient evidence for the …