The plea for former president Rodrigo Duterte’s return from detention in The Hague has taken on renewed urgency, with his daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte asking the Supreme Court to swiftly resolve the consolidated petitions filed earlier this year.
Her motion, submitted to the High Court on Tuesday, argued that the government must be compelled to take all necessary steps to bring the 80-year-old Duterte back to the Philippines. The filing emphasized the gravity of the situation, warning that inaction could allow alleged constitutional violations to persist. “Petitioner implores this Honorable Court to exercise similar resolve here to ensure that constitutional violations do not go unremedied or unpunished, even if the ruling could influence the country’s political landscape,” the motion stated.
The call for judicial intervention comes months after Kitty Duterte, together with her half-brothers Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, asked the Court to direct the government to produce the former president. Their petitions were lodged in March, shortly after Duterte’s arrest on March 11 and subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters to face charges tied to the anti-drug campaign carried out under his administration.
The filing noted concerns about Duterte’s condition while under ICC custody, citing both his age and health. His legal counsel at the tribunal earlier disclosed that Duterte has shown signs of cognitive impairment, with difficulty recalling places, events, dates, and even relatives. The ICC has ordered a medical evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
Kitty Duterte argued that bringing him home is crucial to protect his dignity, adding that his continued detention abroad poses the risk of a death far from his homeland. “At bare minimum, urgent judicial relief will spare the nation the ignominy of having a beloved former President – expelled from his homeland without due process of law – suffer an undignified death in the custody of his foreign captors, with this Honorable Court not lifting a finger to intervene,” the motion said.
Beyond humanitarian grounds, she asserted that the petitions seek accountability for what she described as her father’s “extralegal rendition” and aim to prevent future threats to the liberty of other Filipino officials.
Her filing also referenced concerns of a broader pattern, warning of an “imminent threat of repetition” following reports that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, one of Duterte’s closest allies. The Department of Justice has publicly stated that it would enforce such a warrant if issued and that the government could opt to extradite or surrender the senator to the ICC.
Dela Rosa’s camp has pushed back, arguing that the Philippines lacks a legal framework that would allow authorities to surrender citizens to an international tribunal. Although no formal ICC case against the senator is publicly known, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously claimed that Dela Rosa and several former top police officers were identified in the ICC’s probe into killings linked to the drug war. Dela Rosa headed the Philippine National Police at the height of the campaign.
Government figures recorded around 6,200 deaths during anti-drug operations in the Duterte years, while human rights groups estimate the toll could reach as high as 30,000 when including unreported or vigilante-style killings.
