TIMELINE: From Duterte's 2016 war on drugs to his March 2025 arrest
The International Criminal Court has arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte due to the brutal killings during his term as chief executive and as mayor of Davao City.
Upon assuming office in 2016, the Duterte administration launched its flagship bloody war on drugs called Oplan Tokhang, which saw the execution of thousands of suspected drug peddlers, users, and small-time criminals.
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.
Shortly after the killings caught the ICC’s attention, Duterte threatened to withdraw the country’s membership from the ICC. (He ordered the withdrawal in 2018, which officially took effect the following year.) He has since maintained that he will not cooperate with any investigation, despite earlier pronouncements that he’s willing to face the consequences.
But the ICC was unfazed, even as the country’s Supreme Court ruled that the government is still obliged to comply with the ICC investigation because the possible crimes happened while the Philippines was still a member-state.
Throughout time, the ICC moved to pursue its investigation, the non-cooperation even from Duterte’s successor Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. notwithstanding. Malacañang later said the Philippines would comply if Interpol issued a red notice against Duterte.
From Duterte’s willingness to cooperate to his outright refusal, from Marcos's disinterest to the ICC's courses of action, here’s a timeline of the events that finally led to the problematic leader's arrest.
October 2016
Then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said they’re watching the Philippines closely as killings under the Duterte administration were on the rise just four months since he assumed office. The international community was also critical of the human rights violations under Duterte’s watch.
The tough-talking Duterte, meanwhile, dismissed the criticisms, telling the ICC that it couldn’t threaten him with an investigation. He declared that he’s “willing to rot in jail for the Filipino.”
November 2016
After Russian president Vladimir Putin withdrew from the ICC, Duterte said he might follow suit. He also called the international court “useless,” as it can’t supposedly help small countries like the Philippines.
March 2017
Duterte reiterated that he’s “ready” to go to prison due to the drug war’s aftermath.
He made the statement after Edgar Matobato, a self-proclaimed member of the Davao Death Squad, said he’d file a criminal case against Duterte before the ICC.
April 2017
Matobato’s lawyer, Jude Sabio, filed a communication before the ICC, requesting to commit Duterte and his senior government officials to the trial chamber and sentence them to life.
Sabio, in his court filing, said he has “direct proof beyond reasonable doubt” regarding the killings under Duterte’s watch.
But in January 2020, Sabio withdrew his communication, though it supposedly had no effect on the already ongoing proceedings.
June 2017
Opposition figures, then-senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Party-list representative Gary Alejano, filed a complaint before the ICC, urging it to investigate Duterte’s drug war as the government wasn’t interested in holding him accountable.
“It is now for the Office of the Prosecutor to take cognizance of this case and render justice to the thousands of victims in the Philippines,” they said in their filing. “We respectfully submit that there is an urgency to conduct a preliminary examination on the allegations propounded herein to pre-empt and prevent further commission of crimes against humanity in the Philippines.”
July 2017
During his second State of the Nation Address, Duterte again reiterated his willingness to take accountability over his war on drugs.
“Despite international and local pressures, the fight will not stop until those who deal in it (drugs),” he said, “understand that they have to cease, they have to stop because the alternatives are either jail or hell.”
Talking about fulfilling his government’s “mandate to protect our people from these crimes,” he called the ICC “shit” for its supposed threat to imprison him.
“I am willing to go to prison for the rest of my life. Ang importante sa akin ginagawa ko yung gusto ko,” he said.
August 2017
Duterte again expressed a willingness to go to jail, even joking that he prefers being next to Sen. Leila De Lima’s cell.
De Lima, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics amid his drug war, was detained in February of that year over allegations that she was in the drug trade inside New Bilibid Prison during her stint as justice secretary.
As then-commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights in 2009, she launched an investigation into the "death squad" killings that Duterte allegedly orchestrated during his time as Davao City mayor and in the early days of his presidency.
De Lima was granted bail in November 2023 after six years.
Feb. 9, 2018
The ICC Office of the Prosecutor said it has started a preliminary examination of the complaint filed against Duterte.
Duterte then backtracked on his pronouncements of getting into prison, saying he’d face a firing squad instead.
He also urged Bensouda to meet with him one-on-one, saying there was “no need” for trials.
In any case, Duterte said he welcomes the ICC.
"If you want to find me guilty, go ahead. So be it,” he said.
Feb. 12, 2018
Duterte said that his war on drugs will continue until the end of his term. “If I go to prison, I go to prison," he said.
March 6, 2018
Amid the complaints against him, Duterte claimed that the ICC doesn’t have jurisdiction over him, “not in a million years.” But the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide, under the Rome Statute’s policy.
March 14, 2018
Duterte announced that the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC, “effective immediately.”
He cited the “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” of the court against his government as the basis.
However, the ICC noted that withdrawal shall only take effect a year after the date of receipt of the notification.
Being a non-member state won’t also affect ongoing proceedings before the withdrawal.
August 2018
The drug war victims’ families, via the Rise Up for Life and for Rights network, filed a complaint before the ICC to indict and convict Duterte.
They asked Bensouda to “call for an end to madness and for President Duterte, who has likened himself to one of the most evil men in history, to be brought before the ICC and be held to account for crimes against humanity.”
March 17, 2019
The Philippines officially withdrew as a member state of the ICC a year after Duterte’s announcement.
The ICC’s investigation continues despite the country’s withdrawal (since the alleged crimes occurred while the Philippines was still a member).
Being a non-member meant reinforcement of the government’s non-cooperation.
December 2019
Bensouda said her preliminary examination would be finalized by 2020 to decide whether to seek authorization to open an investigation into the situation in the Philippines.
December 2020
Bensouda said there’s a “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity were committed throughout Duterte’s war on drugs.
She noted that these crimes took place between July 1, 2016, and March 16, 2019.
However, her office at the time was unable to conclude a preliminary examination to open a formal investigation due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 2021
The families of the drug war victims, via the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, filed a supplemental pleading before the ICC to charge Duterte after threatening to have Bensouda arrested for her actions.
Under Article 70(D) of the Roman Statute, Duterte was allegedly “impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing an official of the Court for the purpose of forcing or persuading the official not to perform, or to perform improperly, his or her duties.”
"Duterte should be held accountable for his blatant attempt to pervert the course of justice by intimidating and retaliating against the officials of the [ICC],” the NUPL said.
June 2021
Bensouda applied for authorization before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to open an investigation into the drug war killings under the Duterte administration—and during his time as Davao City mayor.
“Police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings,” she said. “They paid police officers and vigilantes bounties for extrajudicial killings. State officials at the highest levels of government also spoke publicly and repeatedly in support of extrajudicial killings, and created a culture of impunity for those who committed them.”
September 2021
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber approved the investigation into Duterte’s drug war, citing “reasonable basis” for the prosecutor to proceed as a “crime against humanity of murder appears to have been committed.”
Oct. 7, 2021
Karim Khan, Bensouda’s successor, urged Duterte to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the killings.
Khan said he seeks “to uncover the truth and aims to ensure accountability.” He also wants to ensure a “successful, independent, and impartial investigation.”
Oct. 7, 2021
Marcos, then a presidential candidate, told CNN Philippines that he wouldn’t help ICC investigators should he become the chief executive.
Instead, he vowed to focus on preventing drug use and educating the youth about its negative effects.
Nov. 10, 2021
The Duterte administration formally asked the ICC to defer its investigation and proceedings.
In a letter to Khan, J. Eduardo Malaya, Ambassador of the Philippines to the Netherlands, said, “The domestic institutions in the Philippines are fully functional and more than adequate to address the issues and concerns raised.”
“The Court may only exercise jurisdiction where national legal system fail to do so, which is certainly not the case in the Philippines,” Malaya said.
Nov. 19, 2021
The ICC temporarily suspended its investigation but said it will “continue its analysis of information already in its possession as well as new information it may receive.”
Nov. 24, 2021
Khan said it will ask the Duterte administration for “tangible evidence” that it’s investigating the killings during the drug war.
He said the evidence must be of “probative value” and have a “sufficient degree of specificity, demonstrating that concrete and progressive investigative steps have been or are currently being undertaken to ascertain the responsibility of persons for alleged conduct falling within the scope of the authorized ICC investigation.”
June 24, 2022
Khan requested the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to resume the investigation into the drug war and Davao City killings between 2011 and 2016. He said the information his office obtained “does not demonstrate that concrete and progressive steps have been taken or are being taken by the competent national authorities.”
The Philippine government also failed to show that any individual has been probed for ordering, planning, or instigating the killings.
June 26, 2022
Then-Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that while he respects Khan, he “should have waited” for the administration’s efforts “to bear some fruit.”
Guevarra noted that an investigation of such a “magnitude and complexity cannot be finished in a few months.”
Marcos in power
As Marcos succeeded Duterte as executive chief, here’s what his administration has done so far regarding the ICC’s investigation into his predecessor’s drug war.
July 2022
Marcos assembled a legal team to discuss how his government would deal with the ICC.
Duterte’s former spokesman, Harry Roque, was part of the meeting.
August 2022
Marcos said the Philippines has no intention to rejoin the ICC, noting that the government is already doing its own investigation.
Sept. 22, 2022
Khan said the Philippine government’s request to defer the investigation is “not warranted,” and reiterated the need to resume the investigation.
Sept. 28, 2022
Justice Sec. Boying Remulla criticized Khan for doing a “disservice” to the Philippines by challenging its justice system.
Remulla said the ICC “cannot run roughshod over our system and say you’re a lousy country and you cannot do what we want you to do.”
Feb. 3, 2023
Guevarra, now solicitor general, filed a notice of appeal asking the ICC to suspend its decision to resume the investigation into the killings.
Feb. 16, 2023
Lawmakers led by senior deputy speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to support Duterte amid the possible ICC probe into the drug war killings.
They declared that Duterte had “remarkable achievements brought about by his relentless campaign against illegal drugs, insurgency, separatism and terrorism, corruption in government, and criminality.”
Feb. 18, 2023
Like Duterte, Marcos wasn’t keen on the ICC probe, saying it has no jurisdiction over the country.
He said the ICC is an “intrusion into our internal matters” and a “threat to our sovereignty.”
March 2, 2023
The government filed a motion to block the request of drug war victims’ families to be included in the proceedings.
March 13, 2023
The government submitted its appeal brief to the ICC, asking to suspend the investigation into the drug war killings.
It said the ICC probe would lack the “legal foundation” and “encroach on the sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines.”
March 21, 2023
The ICC rejected the motion to block the request of drug war victims’ families, allowing them to be involved in the proceedings.
March 28, 2023
The ICC dismissed the government’s motion to suspend the investigation into the drug war killings.
Marcos said the Philippines is “disengaging from any contact” with the ICC.
At best, he said his government would “comment” but not appear as a party in the ICC.
Khan may then continue his office’s investigation into the drug war killings.
April 4, 2023
Khan asked the appeals chamber to reject the Philippine government’s appeal opposing the ICC investigation.
April 18, 2023
The ICC Office of Public Counsel for Victims, backing Khan, rejected the Philippine government’s appeal to stop the investigation into the drug war killings.
It argued that the government failed to show that the pre-trial chamber committed any error in making the decision or establish a law error that “materially affected the decision.”
May 2, 2023
The ICC appeals chamber lets the Philippine government respond to Khan’s appeal to resume the investigation into the drug war killings.
It gave the Philippine government until May 16 to respond.
May 16, 2023
The Philippine government, in its response to Khan, reiterated that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the country.
July 18, 2023
The ICC rejected the Philippine government’s appeal. Khan may continue his office’s investigation into the drug war killings and the Davao City killings under Duterte’s watch.
July 21, 2023
Marcos said his government will not cooperate with the ICC “in any way or form.”
He said they will continue to “defend the sovereignty of the Philippines and continue to question the jurisdiction of the ICC in their investigations here in the Philippines.”
Nov. 20, 2023
Non-opposition lawmakers led by Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante and 1-Rider Rep. Ramon Gutierrez filed a resolution asking government agencies to assist the ICC in its investigation into the drug war killings.
Nov. 21, 2023
Remulla said the lawmakers’ resolution must be studied further, especially since the Philippines is no longer an ICC member.
He, however, said the DOJ is open to dialogue with Khan, noting diplomacy must be practiced.
Nov. 24, 2023
Marcos said they’re studying the possibility of the Philippines returning as a member of the ICC.
“We’ll just keep looking at it and see what our options are,” he told reporters, though noted that “there are still problems in terms of jurisdiction and sovereignty.”
December 2023
Guevarra told CNN Philippines that ICC investigators may enter the Philippines as long as “there will be no illegal activities to be conducted here.”
“I do not see any reason why they should be prevented from coming in because they’re going to interview certain persons, gather certain documents, so forth and so on,” he’s quoted as saying.
Jan. 21, 2024
Trillanes, citing “inside information,” claimed that ICC investigators visited the country last December and have gathered enough evidence against Duterte.
Roque, on behalf of Duterte, said the ICC has no evidence.
Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former chief presidential legal counsel, called Trillanes’s pronouncements “fake news.”
Jan. 23, 2024
Marcos once again noted that the Philippines isn’t cooperating with the ICC in its investigation into the drug war killings.
“The Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” he said. “However, as ordinary people, they can come and visit the Philippines, but we will not help them.”
Jan. 28, 2024
During a prayer rally in Davao City—which coincided with Marcos's "Bagong Pilipinas" rally in Manila—Duterte's son, Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte, lamented how a certain “they” wanted to imprison his father, alluding to the ICC investigation.
Baste criticized Marcos for supposedly being lazy and lacking compassion. He also accused Marcos of making politics his “first priority instead of opening up new opportunities especially for the lower classes to improve the lives of Filipinos.”
The mayor noted that his father allowed Marcos’ father and namesake, Ferdinand E. Marcos, to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016.
February 2024
After surveys from the Social Weather Stations and OCTA Research found that more Filipinos want the ICC investigation to proceed, Marcos expressed his misgivings anew toward the move.
“It opens a Pandora’s box,” he said. “It’s still those questions of jurisdiction and sovereignty. I haven’t yet seen a sufficient answer to it. Until then, I do not recognize their jurisdiction in the Philippines.”
May 7, 2024
Trillanes said a warrant of arrest will be issued against Duterte and others in June and may spill over in July, citing unnamed sources who are “privy to the investigations being done by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC.”
Trillanes claimed the warrants would come in batches, with Duterte being the first. Sen. Bong Go, Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, and Vice President Sara Duterte would come second, while officials from the Philippine National Police and the Duterte administration would be next.
Roque said Trillanes was full of “hot air,” saying he is in “no position to know anything about confidential proceedings.”
May 8, 2024
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said they prepared a legal briefer in case the ICC issues a warrant of arrest to Duterte and others.
DOJ spokesman Jose Clavao IV said the legal briefer would give Marcos several options concerning the arrest warrants. It has objective statements and analyses of each option’s pros and cons.
May 9, 2024
ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti on One News’ Storycon said Duterte, Dela Rosa, and former top cop Oscar Albayalde were “possible to be investigated” by the ICC.
Dela Rosa, who served as the country's top cop before becoming a senator, and Albayalde would possibly be investigated due to command responsibility.
As for Duterte, Conti said she’s “pretty sure” that "he will be considered as one of the most responsible and will probably be summoned or ordered arrested by the ICC.”
Oct. 28, 2024
A congressional hearing on Duterte's administration's bloody war on drugs was held. Duterte said he's taking "full legal responsibility" for whatever happened during the drug war.
“I, and I alone, take full legal responsibility sa lahat ng nagawa ng mga pulis pursuant to my order," Duterte said. "Ako ang managot at ako ang makulong."
Still, the former leader said he wouldn't apologize for the drug war as he did it to supposedly protect Filipinos and address the problem “firmly and without compromise.”
“Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses," he said. "I did what I had to do. Whether you believe it or not, I did for my country."
Despite the casualties, Duterte said the drug war was "not about killing people" but about the eradication of illegal substances like shabu, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and party drugs.
Nov. 13, 2024
In another congressional hearing on the war on drugs, Duterte taunted the ICC, telling it to expedite its investigation.
“I am asking the ICC to hurry up, and if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow,” he said. “Ang tagal baka mamatay na ako hindi na nila ako ma-imbestiga."
Nov. 14, 2024
Marcos reiterated that he will not block the ICC in its investigation into Duterte.
While noting that the Philippine government won't cooperate with the ICC, Marcos said the country has obligations to the International Criminal Police Organization.
"If that's the wish of (Duterte), we will not block ICC. We will not just cooperate," he said. "But if he agrees to be investigated, it is up to him."
His statement comes months after the political divorce between the Marcoses and the Dutertes.
March 8, 2025
At night, rumors circulated about the ICC's impending arrest of Duterte for crimes against humanity. It was reportedly issued in the morning.
Two weeks prior, Duterte was reportedly informed about the upcoming arrest warrant.
Duterte, Sara, and their closest allies reportedly went to Hong Kong.
At night, Hong Kong's The Standard reported the Duterte camp's arrival, saying he was seen in Causeway Bay in the Lee Theatre Plaza at around 2 p.m.
He was accompanied by “10 people including bodyguards. He was seen using an escalator leading to the area’s restaurants."
Amid claims of evading arrest, the Duterte camp said he went to Hong Kong for a thanksgiving event with OFWs.
March 9, 2025
Malacañang acknowledged the rumors and said the government "is prepared for any eventuality."
Communications undersecretary Claire Castro, meanwhile, said there's no confirmation yet on the issuance of an arrest warrant, but noted that if Interpol "will ask the necessary assistance from the government, it will provide."
Interpol reportedly issued a red notice, a "request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action."
March 10, 2025
The PNP was placed under heightened alert status and deployed at least 7,000 personnel to several parts of the country, including Metro Manila and Duterte's hometown, Davao.
The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor, meanwhile, said it "does not comment on ongoing investigations and has no comment on these reports" regarding Duterte's arrest.
“Confidentiality is a crucial part of our work," it said, "and is essential to protect the integrity of investigations and to ensure the safety and security of victims, witnesses, and all those with whom the Office interacts."
March 11, 2025
Duterte was arrested by the PNP.
Hours before that, he told GMA News in an exclusive interview that he will "deal with the problem directly as a lawyer."
"Gagamitin ko na ‘yung pagka-abogado ko,” he is quoted as saying in the article published at 8:52 a.m.
As to whether he'd appear if the ICC summoned him, he responded, “I would say that not really appear or non-appearance."
Duterte also pointed out that he will not escape to another country amid the ICC warrant.
“Susmaryosep. Mas lalo akong mahuli dito (sa Hong Kong)," he said. "I am here as a visitor. We do not enjoy any privileges here. Saka kung magtago ako, hindi ako magtago sa ibang lugar. Diyan ako sa Pilipinas. Diyan mo ako hindi makita."
Malacañang, in a statement at 11:05 a.m., said that Duterte arrived in Manila at 9:20 a.m.
"Sa kanyang pagdating, inihain ng Prosecutor General ang ICC notification para sa isang arrest warrant sa dating Pangulo para sa krimen laban sa sangkatauhan," it said. "Ang dating Pangulo at ang kanyang grupo ay nasa mabuting kalusugan at sinuri ng mga doctor ng gobyerno. Sinigurado na siya ay nasa maayos na kalagayan."
The policemen who arrested Duterte wore body cameras.
"Sa ngayon, nasa kustodiya na siya ng mga kinauukulan," it added.
