Rodrigo Duterte en route to The Hague to face ICC charges of crimes against humanity
Former president Rodrigo Duterte has departed from the Philippines and is on his way to The Hague, Netherlands, where he will face the International Criminal Court for his alleged crimes against humanity.
The chartered Gulfstream G550 plane with tail number RP-C5219 carrying Duterte took off from Villamor Air Base at 11:03 pm on Tuesday, March 11.
Photos circulating on social media from official sources showed the former president inside the plane with his former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, his nurse, and a personal assistant.
Retired police general Filmore Escobal earlier filmed Duterte boarding the jet hours after he was arrested on orders of the criminal court. He did not appear to resist his transfer and instead climbed up the plane peacefully.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III confirmed to The Philippine STAR that the flight was bound for The Hague, Netherlands.
However, as there are no direct flights between the Philippines and the European country, a connecting flight is necessary. ANC reported that the plane would be making a stop in Dubai to refuel and would continue to its destination in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which is about 24 kilometers away from The Hague.
The expected time of arrival in Dubai is around 7:14 a.m. (Philippine time) on Wednesday.
Many of his supporters rallied outside Villamor Air Base to protest his arrest and flight.
His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, also came to the air base to talk to him personally but was denied entry.
Speaking to reporters, Sara said that the whole fiasco is "saddening" as the Philippines is treated as a "doormat" for others.
"Tayo lang sa buong mundo ang bansa na nag-co-cooperate sa ICC. Para tayong doormat. The Philippines is like a doormat for other countries, not just the ICC, kung sino man 'yung sumasamantala sa ating bayan," she lamented
"Nakakalungkot dahil saan ka ba nakakahanap ng bayan na 'yung kanyang citizen mismo ibibigay niya sa dayuhan. Nakakahiya bilang isang Pilipino," she continued.
Sara shared that she managed to briefly talk with her father while he was on the plane. "Ang sabi niya, 'Wala tayong magagawa.' Sabi niya, 'That's life.' But I told them some instructions on what to say and what to do, pero sa totoo lang, dapat hindi talaga 'yan umalis ng bansa."
She said she intended to follow her father to the Netherlands with their lawyers.
Marcos says they have 'commitments to the Interpol'
In a press briefing held at 11:15 p.m., President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. confirmed that the plane holding Duterte took off at 11:03 p.m. en route to The Hague.
"Mr. Duterte was arrested in compliance with our commitments to Interpol," Marcos explained, who said that Interpol asked for their help. "If we don't do that, they will no longer help us with other cases involving Filipino fugitives abroad. This is what the international community expects of us as the leader of a democratic country that is part of the community of nations."
Marcos said he received a physical copy of the warrant at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday.
On claims that Duterte's arrest was unlawful, the chief executive asserted, "We followed every single necessary procedure. We had a very good basis on which to serve that warrant and to read him his rights."
"We followed all the legal procedures that are necessary. So, I'm confident that in further examination, you will find that it is proper and correct," he added.
He also denied that this was a form of political persecution on his part as the ICC initiated its case against Duterte before he came into the picture. He also said that it has no connection with the 2028 presidential elections.
"I'm sure sasabihin nila yan. But this case started in 2017 when we [were] still members of the ICC, and it was still during the time of former president Duterte. So, I don't see how that can be political persecution on my part because it was initiated before I even came into the picture," he said.
Duterte was arrested on March 11 for murder, torture, and rape—which are part of the 15 forms of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute—in connection with his administration's bloody war on drugs called Oplan Tokhang
Based on the government's "Real Numbers" data, a total of 6,229 individuals were killed during anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016, to Jan. 31, 2022.
Rights groups, however, estimated that the number of deaths from the bloody anti-narcotics campaign reached as high as 27,000.