This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
(Update: March 12, 2025, 11:15 a.m.) The plane carrying Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at around 8:04 am on Wednesday morning for a stopover. Vice President Sara Duterte also flew out to the Netherlands via Emirates at 7:40 a.m.
Whether or not you’re a supporter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, you probably thought this day would never come.
In a shocking and historic event, Duterte was arrested on Tuesday morning, March 11, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), just moments after his return from Hong Kong.
“Sa kanyang pagdating, inihain ng Prosecutor General ang ICC notification para sa isang arrest warrant sa dating Pangulo para sa krimen laban sa sangkatauhan,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement released this morning. “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.”
Commenting on his arrest as he disembarked the plane, Duterte stated in a video by ABS-CBN News, “You will just have to kill me, kung hindi ako papayag kung kakampi ka d’yan sa mga puti.”
He faces charges of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been investigating deaths related to the war on drugs under Duterte’s administration both as Davao City mayor and as president of the Philippines. The ICC estimates the drug war death toll to be approximately 30,000.
On Sunday, Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, appeared at a PDP-Laban rally in the city-state to support their senatorial slate for the 2025 elections. At the rally, the former president said that he had heard of the arrest warrant. “If I’m arrested, if I’m detained, so be it,” he said.
On Monday, March 10, The Manila Times reported that the Philippine National Police was gearing up to arrest Duterte amid rumors that the ICC and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) were going to issue an arrest warrant.
As of Monday evening, the ICC had not announced the issuance of an arrest warrant. “ICC announcements come from our official channels. The Court has not issued any press release about this matter. The Office of the Prosecutor has an ongoing investigation in relation to the situation in the Philippines,” ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told Inquirer.
But on Tuesday morning, the Presidential Communications office confirmed that Interpol Manila received an arrest warrant earlier in the day.
Following Duterte’s arrest, he was brought to Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, where he was read his Miranda rights.
‘Maraming Sakit’
On Tuesday afternoon, Senator Bong Go insisted that Duterte was ill and in need of immediate medical attention.
In an ambush interview at NAIA Terminal 3, Go said that he had brought a doctor with him and had called an ambulance to bring Duterte to a hospital. “May procedure po siya bukas,” he said.
“Marami po siyang sakit,” he added. “Mag-i-80 years old na po ‘yong matanda. Alam niyo, kawawa.”
On her Instagram stories, the former president’s daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte posted a scan of a note from a Dr. Rosa Allyn G. Sy stating that Duterte’s glucose levels had “shot up.”
Flying Out
Duterte boarded a Gulfstream G550 jet bound for Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday evening after the jet was seen being refueled at the presidential hangar in Villamor Air Base that afternoon.
The plane with tail number RPC 5219 departed Manila at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday and arrived in Dubai on Wednesday at approximately 8:04 a.m for a stopover. After refueling, it is expected to fly to The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICC is seated. Duterte is accompanied by a personal assistant, a nurse, and former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Vice President Sara Duterte flew out on an Emirates flight bound for the Netherlands at 7:40 a.m. She stated on Tuesday evening that she would follow her father to the Hague.
