A new national survey indicates that views on the International Criminal Court (ICC) are far more mixed among supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte than commonly portrayed, with no single stance dominating the group.
Results from WR Numero’s latest nationwide poll show that a slim majority of Filipinos — 51% — consider the ICC significant in efforts to hold those involved in the drug war responsible. A quarter of respondents, or 26%, disagreed with this view, while the rest remained undecided.
The picture becomes more complex within Duterte’s base. While 46.4% of pro-Duterte respondents rejected the ICC’s relevance and credibility, they did not constitute a majority. Nearly two in five (39%) said the tribunal plays an important role, and 14.6% were uncertain. Supporters of the former president represented about one-third of the 1,412 adults surveyed.
WR Numero President and CEO Cleve Arguelles said the findings highlight the varied perspectives within Duterte’s coalition. “They may be overwhelmingly aligned in their opposition to the Marcos administration, but their views on the ICC are more diverse than the political story assumes,” he told Philstar.com.
Other questions in the survey displayed stronger cohesion among Duterte backers, including their views on domestic investigations and potential legal action involving key figures of the previous administration. Sixty-three percent said deprioritizing any arrest of Sen. Bato dela Rosa was appropriate, while 52% opposed the idea of Duterte being held under ICC custody.
The alignment grew sharper when respondents judged the Marcos administration’s credibility in probing alleged irregularities in flood control works and the national budget. Among Duterte supporters, 73% expressed distrust in the current leadership’s ability to carry out such investigations. In contrast, 74% of pro-Marcos respondents said they trusted the government to handle the inquiry.
The question of the ICC, however, fractured Duterte’s base more visibly. Arguelles noted that the coalition has long been composed of constituencies with different motivations and worldviews. “Duterte’s coalition has always been broad and quite plural— Mindanao identity voters, anti-elite voters, anxious middle class, and the conservative law and order constituency— and these groups don’t share the same instincts about international accountability,” he said.
He added that the portion of Duterte supporters who acknowledge the ICC’s importance reflects this internal diversity. “The nearly 40% who say the ICC is important shows that even within Duterte’s own constituency, there is a meaningful segment that distinguishes political loyalty from the question of justice,” he said.
Arguelles said these attitudes reveal that backing Duterte and supporting investigations into drug war abuses are not mutually exclusive positions for some Filipinos. “It’s a reminder that public opinion, even among strong constituencies, is more textured and open than elite factional infighting makes it appear,” he said.
Support for the ICC was most pronounced among opposition-aligned respondents, 68.2% of whom affirmed its relevance. They were followed by pro-Marcos participants at 61.5%, and politically independent or undecided respondents at 52%.
The WR Numero survey was conducted from November 21 to 28 among 1,412 adults nationwide, with a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Of those surveyed, 39% identified as politically unaffiliated, 34% as Duterte supporters, 15% as pro-Marcos, and 12% as aligned with the opposition.
