Lawyers for former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, believed headed for The Hague to face the International Criminal Court over his deadly crackdown on drugs, filed a petition Wednesday demanding his return to Manila.
The plane taking the 79-year-old to the Netherlands resumed its journey after a stopover of several hours in Dubai on Wednesday, a flight tracking site said.
It was not possible to confirm if Duterte was still on the privately owned aircraft.
Duterte faces a charge of 鈥榯he crime against humanity of murder鈥�, according to the ICC, for a crackdown that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.
On Wednesday morning, his lawyers filed a Supreme Court petition 鈥� on behalf of his youngest daughter Veronica 鈥� accusing the government of 鈥榢idnapping鈥� Duterte and demanding it 鈥榖ring him back鈥�.
鈥楾he ICC can only exercise its jurisdiction if a country鈥檚 national legal system is not functioning,鈥� lawyer Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. told reporters outside the court, insisting the Philippines鈥� judicial system was 鈥榳orking properly鈥�.
But presidential palace press officer Claire Castro said cooperating with Interpol was the government鈥檚 prerogative.
鈥楾his is not just surrendering a Filipino citizen, this is surrendering a Filipino citizen who is accused of crimes against humanity, specifically murder,鈥� she said.
At a church in the capital, some of those whose family members were killed in the 鈥榙rug war鈥� discussed the arrest.
鈥楧uterte is fortunate, there鈥檚 due process for him,鈥� Emily Soriano said of her son Angelito, at a press briefing organised by a local rights group.
鈥楾here was no due process for my son. He will be lying down on a good bed, my son is already rotting at the cemetery.鈥�
Duterte was arrested Tuesday morning after 鈥業nterpol Manila received the official copy of the warrant of the arrest from the ICC鈥�, the presidential palace said.
An ICC spokesman later confirmed the warrant and said an initial appearance hearing would be scheduled when Duterte was in the court鈥檚 custody.
President Ferdinand Marcos announced his predecessor鈥檚 departure on Tuesday evening.
鈥楾he plane is en route to The Hague in the Netherlands, allowing the former president to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs,鈥� Marcos said.
Before her father鈥檚 departure, vice president Sara Duterte said he was being 鈥榝orcibly taken to The Hague鈥�, labelling the transfer 鈥榦ppression and persecution鈥�.
Her office issued a statement Wednesday saying she had flown to Amsterdam, without offering further details.
On Tuesday night, the former president said he believed the Philippine Supreme Court would prevent his transfer.
鈥榃e do not have an extradition treaty,鈥� Duterte said on an Instagram broadcast shortly before leaving Manila. But no reprieve materialised.
While supporters dubbed his arrest 鈥榰nlawful鈥�, those who opposed Duterte鈥檚 drug war were jubilant.
鈥楾he mothers whose husbands and children were killed because of the drug war are very happy,鈥� said Rubilyn Litao of Rise Up for Life and for Rights, a group supporting mothers of those killed in the crackdown.
鈥楾hey have been waiting for this for a very long time.鈥�
The Philippines quit the ICC in 2019 on Duterte鈥檚 instructions.
But the tribunal maintained it had jurisdiction over killings up to then, including ones in the southern city of Davao when Duterte was mayor.
It launched a formal inquiry in September 2021, only to suspend it two months later after Manila said it was re-examining several hundred drug operations that led to deaths.
The probe resumed in July 2023 after a five-judge panel rejected the Philippines鈥� objection that the court lacked jurisdiction.
Following that decision, the Marcos government repeatedly said it would not cooperate with the investigation 鈥� but recently reversed course, saying it would be 鈥榦bliged to follow鈥� should Interpol ask for assistance.
A one-time alliance between Marcos and the Duterte family has exploded spectacularly since the 2022 presidential election, when Sara Duterte run as vice president on his ticket.
The vice president is currently facing a Senate trial on a number of charges, including corruption and an alleged assassination plot against Marcos.