Statement of Leila de Lima on the Arrest of Former President Rodrigo Duterte by the ICC
11 March 2025
This is deeply personal for me.
For almost seven years, I was imprisoned on fabricated charges, accused of crimes I did not commit—all because I dared to speak out against Duterte’s drug war. While I was behind bars, thousands of Filipinos were killed without justice, their families left to grieve with no answers, no accountability.
Today, Duterte is being made to answer—not to me, but to the victims, to their families, to a world that refuses to forget. This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course.
I faced my case, knowing I was innocent. I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide. Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law. This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else.
To those who have fought this long and difficult fight—your voices mattered, your courage mattered, and today, the pursuit of justice continues.
“Hirap na hirap na kami. Nagpapasalamat ako na nahuli na si Duterte. Sana makulong siya, mamatay na siya sa kulungan.”
Families of extrajudicial killing victims gathered to seek justice for the loved ones they lost in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs. For nearly nine years, they never lost hope that this day would come—the chance to finally hold Duterte accountable.
Eunila, who lost her son-in-law and is now raising her grandchild, could not hold back her emotions.
@News5PH@onenewsph
"Ingat ka sa mga sinasabi mo, baka ma-tokhang ka."
"Umuwi ka ng maaga. Baka mapagkamalan ka."
Commonly-heard phrases that seemingly set the irony to the constant claim that it was "safer" to walk on the streets at night during the Duterte administration.
“Yung aking pamangkin, hindi nga nadala sa korte… Mapalad ang ating pangulo dahil mabibigyan siya ng pagkakataon na ipagtanggol ang kaniyang sarili.”
Randy Delos Santos, uncle of slain teenager Kian Delos Santos, criticized the irony of former President Rodrigo Duterte receiving due process—a right denied to Kian and thousands of others killed in the controversial war on drugs. @News5PH@onenewsph
I stand with the families and victims of extrajudicial killings in welcoming the ICC’s arrest of former Pres. Duterte. Justice demands that this warrant be enforced without delay. Duterte must be placed under the ICC’s jurisdiction immediately. 1/5
Dear Kitty,
The Filipino people are not stupid.
Rodrigo Duterte happily went to Hong Kong to campaign for his senatorial candidates, before that he went to several PDP events. Who in his right mind would believe your "weaker by the minute" narrative?
Are you saying you allowed your father to travel and exhaust himself in the campaign even if you know that his health is fragile? Why is that our problem now?
Are you saying Rodrigo Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for Davao City mayor knowing that his health is not in good condition?
There are doctors in the Netherlands who can assess if the medical procedure you are requesting is urgent.
I think if it is just diabetes as stated in the medical certificate you posted, ICC doctors can handle this.
Ingat sa biyahe, FPRRD! Lols
Not sorry for bursting your bubble, Kitty Duterte, but you know who else had no warrants of arrest? The tens of thousands of #EJK victims killed by your father’s regime. Ipokrita.
DUTERTE'S SINS VS THE FILIPINO PEOPLE:
- 30,000+ drug-related EJKs
- 442 politically-motivated EJKs
- 481,918 victims of forced evacuation
- 1,341 victims of illegal arrests and detention
DESERVE NA DESERVE IKULONG!
NO SPECIAL TREATMENTS!
#DuterteIkulong#ProsecuteDuterte