FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte has left the Philippines for the Netherlands, hours after being served an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Social media posts from his daughter, Kitty Duterte, and a police officer confirmed his departure.
A radio report indicated Duterte boarded a bus before transferring to a private jet. He was accompanied by former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea.
The former president had been held at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City following his arrival from Hong Kong and the execution of the warrant by the Philippine National Police.
A livestream by General Filmore Bondilles Escobal showed Duterte boarding the aircraft.
In an Instagram live video hosted by his daughter, Duterte addressed his arrest, reiterating his preference to be prosecuted in the Philippines. “If I committed a crime, prosecute me in Philippine courts, with a Philippine judge, a Filipino prosecutor, and I will serve my sentence in my country if necessary,” he stated.
He further insisted that the ICC lacks jurisdiction to prosecute him for alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration, citing the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2018.
“The fact that we are no longer a member, lawyers should understand that,” Duterte added.
While the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2018, a 2021 Supreme Court ruling clarified that the country remains obligated to cooperate with the ICC regarding crimes committed while it was still a state party. This ruling effectively challenges Duterte’s assertion of a lack of ICC jurisdiction.
