On the quiet, wind-swept shores of The Hague, Netherlands, an unusual swirl of Filipino political drama has taken hold. Since March 2025, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been detained at the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Scheveningen facility, awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity committed during his bloody war on drugs. But the story unfolding beyond the ICC’s walls is as tumultuous as the proceedings themselves, marked by fervent supporters, family visits, legal maneuvering, viral online rumors, and even a food-fueled shouting match among loyalists.
It all began in early March, when Duterte, now 80, was arrested and transferred to the ICC, setting off a wave of speculation, hope, and outrage among his followers. According to VERA Files Fact Check, false claims about Duterte’s status have circulated persistently, with the most recent flare-up occurring on August 18, 2025. That day, a YouTube channel published a video boldly declaring that Duterte had been released from his ICC cell and was on his way back to the Philippines. The video’s headline, riddled with numbers to evade detection, screamed: “BIG GOODNEWS! LAHAT NA-SH0CKED? FPRRD NAKALABAS nasa 1CC? 100% UUWE sa P1NAS – KAUFMAN MARCOLETA.” The thumbnail showed Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte waving from an airplane door, a photo that, upon closer inspection, was years old and entirely unrelated to the ICC proceedings.
Despite the video’s viral reach—over 12,400 engagements and 186,000 views—VERA Files Fact Check was quick to debunk the claim. Their analysis, supported by a reverse image search and a review of ICC records, confirmed that Duterte remains in detention. The rumor, they noted, was just the latest in a string of similar falsehoods that have surfaced whenever news breaks about Duterte’s status. As of this writing, Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing is provisionally scheduled for September 23, 2025, before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I. The charges, which include murder, torture, and rape, stem from his controversial anti-drug campaign.
Meanwhile, the legal battle over Duterte’s interim release has intensified. On August 18, defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman filed a renewed request with the ICC, urging the court to immediately grant Duterte interim release to an undisclosed country. The public version of Kaufman’s eight-page request, released on August 20, was heavily redacted but made clear his assurances: Duterte would not be a flight risk, would not interfere with witnesses, and would not commit crimes if released. Kaufman also emphasized that the unnamed government willing to host Duterte “continues to affirm its willingness to cooperate with the Court, to accept Mr. Duterte onto its territory, and to enforce conditions of release.”
The defense’s confidence, however, has not gone unchallenged. Both the prosecution and the counsel for victims have opposed Duterte’s release, arguing that it poses risks to the security and safety of witnesses. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang specifically objected to the proposed host country, pointing out that it “does not have the same extensive history of cooperation with the Court.” Just last month, Kaufman had asked the Pre-Trial Chamber to defer ruling on the interim release, hoping to gather more information—a request the judges granted by majority. Now, with the hearing approaching, the defense is pushing for immediate action, with Kaufman insisting, “Mr. Duterte’s presence at confirmation proceedings may be waived but, if necessary, may equally be ensured by way of videoconferencing.”
As legal teams spar over his fate, Duterte’s family has become a fixture in The Hague. Vice President Sara Duterte, his daughter, made her fourth visit to the Dutch city on August 18, following stops in Kuwait and Paris. According to an interview posted by former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, Duterte’s youngest daughter, Veronica—known as Kitty—confirmed that she and Sara visited their father on August 20. “Yes, I was with VP today. Actually, it was a very cheerful and lively visit… because, of course, my father and the girls. Actually, as we entered the room, he was already there. He was early today, maybe because he knew that the two of us were going to visit,” Kitty recounted.
Kitty described the reunion as warm and emotional: “When we entered, he was already there. I shouted, ‘Dada Rudy.’ Then, when he turned around, he smiled. Then, of course, we kissed. We hugged. Then, he said, ‘my little girls.’ So, that’s what he called us… So, today, the conversation was a bit long.” Duterte, she added, requested that all four of his children—Sara, Congressman Paolo Duterte, acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, and Kitty herself—visit him together. The family is still working out their schedules, with hopes to arrange the visit by the end of August or early September. “Everything was kind of rushed, so we are still arranging it, but I think it’s either by the end of the month or next month, the four of us will go together because that’s the special request,” Kitty explained.
Despite the gravity of his legal situation, Kitty said her father’s spirits remain high. “He was even joking around because there was a microphone there. He was playing with it. He was talking to whoever was monitoring it. So, yeah, it was a very cheerful visit today. He was instructing my sister and I about his advice to us,” she said, noting that Duterte thanked his supporters for their unwavering loyalty. She also mentioned that, though he appeared skinny, he was eating well and seemed in good health.
Outside the ICC, the Filipino community has transformed The Hague into an unlikely stage for Philippine political theater. Supporters gather almost daily, waving flags and chanting slogans, their presence a testament to Duterte’s enduring influence back home. But unity among loyalists has proven fragile. On August 15, a video went viral showing former Duterte spokesman Harry Roque in a heated argument at a gathering where the Filipino dish ‘humba’ was served. Roque, upset after being mocked online for attending and eating humba—a caramelized version of adobo—offered to buy all the humba, declaring he had been “blasphemed.”
Yet, as Roque and activist Alvin Sarzate later clarified, the shouting match was less about the food and more about simmering political differences among Duterte’s supporters. The incident, widely shared and discussed, underscored the deepening rifts within the pro-Duterte camp as the former president’s legal troubles drag on.
With the September 23 confirmation hearing looming, the swirl of legal filings, family visits, street rallies, and viral rumors shows no sign of abating. The world’s attention remains fixed on The Hague, where the fate of one of the Philippines’ most controversial leaders hangs in the balance. For now, Duterte remains behind bars, his supporters undeterred, his family by his side, and his critics and backers alike watching every twist in a saga that has become as unpredictable as it is consequential.
