FORMER Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte said he was ready for a possible arrest amid reports the International Criminal Court (ICC) was poised to issue a warrant over his years-long war on drugs that killed thousands.
“Assuming it’s (warrant) true, why did I do it? For myself? For my family? For you and your children, and for our nation,” the tough-talking leader told a rally in Hong Kong, justifying his deadly anti-illegal drug campaign. “If this is truly my fate in life, it’s OK, I will accept it. They can arrest me, imprison me.”
“What is my sin? I did everything in my time for peace and a peaceful life for the Filipino people,” he told the cheering crowd in Hong Kong’s downtown Southorn Stadium, appearing with his daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The ICC has been investigating the ex-President for alleged crimes against humanity that he allegedly committed when he was Davao City mayor and during the first three years of his government, when the Philippines was still a party to the international tribunal.
Mr. Duterte, 79, unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s founding treaty in 2019 when it started looking into allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings.
The war on drugs was Mr. Duterte’s signature campaign policy that swept him to power in 2016 as a maverick, crime-busting mayor who delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of drug pushers.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s office said no official communication had been received from Interpol yet, but indicated that Mr. Duterte could be handed over.
“Our law enforcers are ready to follow what law dictates, if the warrant of arrest needs to be served because of a request from Interpol,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters.
It was not immediately clear how long Mr. Duterte would stay in China-ruled Hong Kong, which is not a party to the ICC. He was in the city to speak at a campaign rally attended by thousands of overseas Filipino workers, hoping to boost support for his senatorial candidates in the May 12 midterm elections.
An elite Hong Kong police unit for protecting VIPs was stationed near the hotel where Mr. Duterte was staying, according to a Reuters witness.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry Commissioner’s Office in Hong Kong said they were aware of the visit and the rally had been “applied for in advance in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.”
“It is understood that Mr. Duterte and Ms. Sarah’s visit to Hong Kong is a private holiday,” the spokesperson said.
The Hong Kong government’s security bureau and police gave no immediate response to a request for comment.
The Philippine presidential palace dismissed speculations that Mr. Duterte might evade the law by visiting Hong Kong, while appealing to his supporters to allow the legal process to take its course.
“If he believes he is innocent, I think this is the opportunity to address the accusations against him at the ICC,” Manila Rep. Joel R. Chua told reporters in Filipino. “Just because a warrant of arrest has been issued does not mean he is already guilty. This will still go through trial, and his side will be heard.”
During a congressional hearing last year into his bloody crackdown on drugs, Mr. Duterte said he was not scared of the ICC and told it to “hurry up” on its investigation.
More recently, the Philippines signaled it is ready to cooperate with the investigation in certain areas.
Philippine police reported having killed 6,200 suspected pushers in the drug war, but human rights groups have said as many as 30,000. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio with Reuters