March 11 marked a historic first in the country: a former president was turned over to international authorities.
At 11:03 PM, a private jet carrying Rodrigo Duterte departed the country following an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Duterte, 79, faces crimes against humanity charges in connection with his administration’s war on drugs, which has led to thousands of deaths. The ICC cites extrajudicial killings, torture, and state-enabled violence during his term.
Coverage across major news outlets varied in tone and emphasis: ABS-CBN adopted a neutral, fact-driven approach, citing the ICC charge of “the crime against humanity of murder” and referencing estimates from rights groups that tens of thousands of mostly poor men were killed by police and vigilantes, often without proof of drug involvement.
While similarly grounded in legal reporting, GMA News incorporated emotional elements by featuring quotes from Filipinos present during Duterte’s arrival in The Hague. The inclusion of personal reactions underscored ongoing loyalty from segments of the public and gave the piece a more sentimental tone.
The Manila Times emphasized procedural aspects of the transfer and included a statement from Vice President Sara Duterte denouncing the arrest. The coverage leaned pro-Duterte, subtly framing the ICC proceedings as politically motivated – consistent with the paper’s right-leaning editorial line.
The Philippine Star maintained a center-right stance, focusing on the logistical details of the turnover without overt political commentary. Its reporting remained restrained, avoiding emotional language or partisan framing.
The Inquirer published a legal explainer outlining the procedural steps of Duterte’s arrest and the implications of his administration’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The article highlighted the role of Interpol and ICC protocols, offering a neutral to center-left take anchored in a legal context while noting rights groups’ criticisms of the drug war.
Rappler presented the arrest within a broader human rights framework, emphasizing the high death toll and referencing political reactions from both Duterte’s critics and allies. The report drew links between Duterte’s past defiance of legal accountability and the ICC proceedings, blending legal reporting with an ethical critique of his legacy.
Commentary across opinion columns also reflects the deep political fault lines surrounding Duterte’s ICC arrest. In The Manila Times, Rigoberto D. Tiglao frames the handover as a political betrayal, claiming Marcos’ cooperation with the ICC could mark the beginning of his downfall.
In contrast, Joel Ruiz Butuyan in the Inquirer argues the arrest warrant lays bare the scale of state-sponsored killings under Duterte, reinforcing the need for accountability. The Philippine Star editorial, “Duterte Faces Justice,” echoes this stance, underscoring that international mechanisms must be allowed to proceed and that no leader should be beyond legal scrutiny.
