The legal team of embattled former President Rodrigo Duterte urged the Supreme Court (SC) to block the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him, even as staunch supporters questioned whether he was afforded due process.
On Tuesday, Lawyer Israelito Torreon filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition before the SC, asking to stop the Philippine government from cooperating with the ICC, citing its lack of jurisdiction following the country’s exit from the Rome Statute in 2019.
Duterte was named among the petitioners as well as former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief turned Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.
In a separate interview with the Manila Standard, SC spokesperson Camille Ting said the Duterte camp’s petition “is still for the court’s action.”
Given the significance of this case and upon the chief Justice’s instructions, a special raffle has been conducted pursuant to Rule 7, Section 7 of the SC’s internal rules, according to her.
Under the said rule, “upon receipt of an initiatory pleading containing a motion for the conduct of a special raffle, the Judicial Records Office shall immediately process the pleading and transmit a copy of it to the Office of the Clerk of Court.”
The ICC in an official warrant dated March 7, 2025 said it maintains legal jurisdiction over allegations of crimes committed between November 2011 to March 2019—the period when the Philippines was a duly recognized member of the chamber.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte claimed that the arrest of the former president by the ICC is an indication of the Philippine government’s willingness to abandon its own citizens.
She described her father’s arrest over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his controversial war on drugs as a “betrayal” of the country’s sovereignty and national dignity.
“Today, our own government has surrendered a Filipino citizen—even a former President at that—to foreign powers,” Duterte said.
“This is a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence,” she added.
For his part, former Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo condemned the former president’s arrest, claiming authorities denied him access to legal counsel and failed to present a physical copy of the warrant.
“It’s an unlawful arrest. The PNP [Philippine National Police] didn’t allow one of his lawyers to meet him at the airport and to question the legal basis for PRRD’s arrest,” he argued.
Moreover, Panelo said that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, which formally withdrew from the court in 2019.
“It is an illegal arrest because the ICC arrest warrant comes from a spurious source, the ICC [International Criminal Court], which has no jurisdiction over the Philippines,” he added.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, the ex-president’s son, in a social media post said his father’s arrest was an act of desperation on the part of the administration.
“It seems to me that they are trying to murder the old man, “ he posted.
“They are insisting that PRRD get on a plane to who knows where using an ICC warrant which does not have jurisdiction in this country,” the younger Duterte further wrote.
As this developed, lawyer and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in a video post sought to rally Duterte supporters to converge at EDSA in what appeared to be a call for another “People Power-style” protest action.
He spoke directly to Duterte’s army of internet “influencers” or “vloggers,” telling them to encourage the ex-president’s followers to take to the streets.
“Now, fellow vloggers, let’s stop crying over these events… over the arrest of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte… let’s call the people to EDSA… let’s return to EDSA,” he said in Filipino.
“Vloggers, let’s unite our voices… let’s encourage our followers to go to EDSA,” Roque, himself a fugitive from Philippine authorities, told supporters.