Rodrigo Duterte’s final words before ICC custody: 'So be it'
MANILA, Philippines — Just before former President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into the International Criminal Court’s custody, he seemed to accept his fate, saying he would “take accountability for everything.”
This came after he questioned his arrest, appearing unsure of what he could have done for all of this to happen to him.
Duterte arrived at Rotterdam The Hague Airport in the Netherlands on Wednesday, March 12, at 11:53 p.m. (PST). Before disembarking, he released a two-minute video message assuring his supporters that he was “okay” despite the long flight.
“Just to give you the current situation, I am about to land sa Hague, galing ako Dubai (I cam from Dubai). [It was] a long flight. Okay lang ako (I am okay). Do not worry,” the former president said in a Facebook post.
The next thing he said was something familiar as he had already said this months ago when he served as a resource person in congressional hearings over his anti-illegal drug campaign’s extrajudicial killings.
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“Sinasabi ko naman sa pulis [at] military na magtrabaho kayo at ako ang managot. So, ito na nga, for all of the — whatever happened in the past, ako na ‘yung nagfront sa ating enforcement at military,” Duterte said.
(I always told the police [and] military to do their jobs, and I would take responsibility. So here it is — for whatever happened in the past, I was the one who stood at the forefront of our law enforcement and military.)
He then vowed to “protect” the police, saying, “Ako ang managot sa lahat (I will take responsibility for everything).”
During his sole appearance at the House Quad Comm hearing, Duterte said he should take the fall for his police officers’ actions — legal or not — because he was the man who gave the orders.
“Akin ‘yun. Ako ang nagbigay ng order kasi ginawa nila. Illegal or legal, akin ‘yun. I take full responsibility,” he said on Nov. 13, 2024.
(That’s mine. I gave the order because they did it. illegal or legal, it’s mine. I take full responsibility.)
Duterte also said he would take responsibility for any “collateral damage” caused by police during operations. However, the extrajudicial killings under his so-called “war on drugs” were not mere accidents, as he implied at that time.
Human rights groups have documented between 12,000 and 30,000 killings during Duterte’s drug war, while government data puts the number at over 6,000.
Both drug suspects and innocent civilians fell to police bullets, including hundreds of Filipino children. Reports show that most cases never underwent due process or proper investigation, dismissed instead as instances of “nanlaban” or fighting back any attempts of arrest.
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The former president has a history of backtracking on his statements, saying one thing, only to retract it later. Now, he claims he will take responsibility.
Ending his speech, which may be one of his last now that he is in ICC detention, Duterte said: “So be it, kung ganu’n ang destiny ko (if that is my destiny).”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Duterte on March 7 for crimes against humanity charges, which Philippine authorities served through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on March 11, shortly after his return from Hong Kong.
That same day, at 11:03 p.m., he left the Philippines on a chartered flight. Duterte is now in the court’s custody, with a hearing set to be scheduled soon.
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