In the Philippines, the question of accountability for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs has taken center stage both at home and on the global stage. Recent developments have seen Duterte facing serious legal trouble in The Hague, as the International Criminal Court (ICC) presses forward with charges, while public opinion in the Philippines appears to tilt toward holding him responsible for thousands of deaths that occurred during his administration. The story is a complex web of legal, political, and societal threads, with new revelations and reactions emerging almost daily.
According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from September 24 to 30, 2025, and commissioned by Stratbase Consultancy, exactly half of the 1,500 adult Filipinos surveyed agreed that Duterte should be held accountable in the ICC for the killings linked to his administration’s anti-drug campaign. The survey, which carries a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points, found that 32 percent of respondents disagreed, 15 percent were undecided, and 4 percent felt they did not know enough to answer. These figures, reported by Inquirer, reflect a nation deeply divided but leaning toward accountability.
The nuances of public opinion are telling. Support for Duterte’s prosecution is highest in the Visayas region (54 percent), followed closely by Metro Manila (53 percent) and Luzon outside Manila (52 percent). Notably, Mindanao—Duterte’s political stronghold—shows the lowest agreement, with just 39 percent supporting ICC accountability. Age also plays a role: Filipinos aged 55 and older are the most likely to call for Duterte to answer for drug war deaths (62 percent), while support is lowest among those aged 25 to 34 (36 percent). By social class, the highest agreement comes from Class ABC (54 percent), followed by Class D (50 percent), and Class E (45 percent).
The survey’s findings arrive at a pivotal moment. Duterte has been detained at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague since March 2025, after being arrested in Manila. His arrest was anything but uneventful; Panay News describes a tense standoff at Villamor airbase as Duterte resisted arrest, a move that contradicted his previous boasts about willingly facing prison for his actions. The ICC, in its official statements, noted that Duterte did not contest the allegations in his warrant of arrest, leading the court to conclude there remain “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is responsible for crimes against humanity of murder committed in the Philippines.”
The legal proceedings against Duterte are both complex and unprecedented. The ICC has charged him with three counts of murder, citing his alleged role as an indirect co-perpetrator in a policy that rewarded the “neutralization” of suspected drug offenders. The arrest warrant, initially based on 43 incidents in Davao City, was expanded to include 49 incidents spanning his tenure as both mayor and president. The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor has made it clear: Duterte is being held “individually criminally responsible” for orchestrating and enabling systematic killings.
On October 10, 2025, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected Duterte’s appeal for interim release. In a 23-page ruling, the chamber cited three main reasons for continued detention: to ensure his appearance at trial, to prevent him from obstructing investigations or proceedings, and to stop any potential commission of further crimes. The court also pointed to Duterte’s ongoing political influence in the Philippines as a factor. His daughter, Sara Duterte, currently serves as the vice president and is widely seen as a frontrunner for the 2028 presidential elections. The ICC referenced public statements by Sara Duterte expressing a desire to break her father out of detention, further fueling concerns over Duterte’s ability to evade justice.
Adding another layer to the legal drama, Duterte’s legal counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, requested an indefinite adjournment of pretrial proceedings on August 18, 2025, citing that the former president was unfit to stand trial due to “cognitive impairment in multiple domains.” The ICC responded by postponing Duterte’s hearing, originally scheduled for September 23. However, the court’s subsequent rejection of his interim release bid underscores its skepticism regarding both his medical claims and the risk he poses as a flight risk, given his continued political connections and recent re-election as Mayor of Davao City in May 2025.
Government data, as cited by Inquirer, reports that Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in approximately 6,000 deaths. However, human rights groups estimate the true toll could exceed 20,000—a staggering figure that has drawn international condemnation and galvanized calls for justice. The ICC’s decision to keep Duterte in detention reflects not only the gravity of the allegations but also the broader implications for justice and accountability in the Philippines.
The political reverberations are significant. The Senate of the Philippines has questioned the validity of the ICC’s processes and, in a move reported by Panay News, passed a resolution urging the ICC to consider house arrest or a similar arrangement for Duterte. Meanwhile, Duterte’s supporters continue to wield influence, as evidenced by the ongoing debate over the legality of his arrest and the ICC’s jurisdiction.
The international dimension of Duterte’s trial has not gone unnoticed. As The Hill Times observed in an article published on October 13, 2025, the case is testing the foreign policy positions of countries like Canada, which must navigate the diplomatic and political fallout of the ICC’s high-profile prosecution of a former head of state. While the Hill Times piece did not delve into the specifics of the ICC proceedings or the Philippine public’s views, it highlighted the broader stakes involved as nations grapple with principles of international justice and sovereignty.
All eyes are now on the ICC as it prepares for what could be a protracted and highly charged trial. With the Philippine election season set to begin in October 2027 and Sara Duterte’s candidacy looming large, the outcome of the proceedings could have far-reaching implications—not only for Duterte himself but for the future of accountability and the rule of law in the Philippines.
As the legal and political drama unfolds, the Filipino public remains divided but engaged, with a significant portion demanding answers for the bloodshed that marked Duterte’s years in power. The international community, too, is watching closely, aware that the stakes extend far beyond the walls of the ICC’s courtroom in The Hague.