Sara calls for vigilance on 1st anniversary of Rody's ICC arrest

VICE President Sara Duterte on Wednesday called for vigilance against the government's alleged attempts to subvert the law, saying the "illegal" arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, by the International Criminal Court (ICC) shows that the law can be abused for political ends.

- BY WENDELL VIGILIA

"Today, we remember the first anniversary of an event that challenged our democracy and the principles of due process and rule of law," the Vice President said in Filipino on the first anniversary of her father's arrest and surrender to the ICC in The Hague in the Netherlands, where he is facing charges for crimes against humanity in connection with the extrajudicial killings committed under his administration's war on drugs.

The 80-year-old Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025 upon his arrival from Hong Kong at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The ICC arrest order was served by agents of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in coordination with Philippine law enforcers.

Amid protests from the Duterte family, the former president was flown to The Hague the same night on a chartered flight. He was accompanied by his personal doctor and former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, who represented him on his first appearance before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber via video conference a few days after he arrived in the Netherlands.

During the proceedings, Medialdea decried before the ICC judges what he claimed was the elderly Duterte's "kidnapping," a claim echoed by all the children, allies and supporters of the former president.

"The extraordinary rendition or kidnapping of former president Rodrigo Duterte is a reminder that the law cannot be used as a political weapon or for personal interest," the Vice President said.