BY JAIZA EUGENIE S. RACOMA
THE ICC’S arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte has galvanized the Filipinos who trusted his base ahead of the 2025 Mid-Term Elections, transforming his detention into a rallying cry for supporters who view the move as foreign interference and political persecution.
Filipinos who trusted Duterte, particularly in rural and working-class communities, are framing his arrest as an attack on Philippine sovereignty. Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s defiant stance—traveling to The Hague to support her father—has amplified this narrative, leveraging nationalist sentiment to consolidate support for pro-Duterte candidates. Alyansa senatorial bets admit the arrest has complicated their campaigns, with some urging de-escalation to avoid alienating Duterte’s base.
Pro-Duterte candidates are likely to weaponize the ICC case to deflect scrutiny of his policies, portraying his detention as a Western-led conspiracy against his populist agenda. This strategy risks polarizing voters further, as opposition figures may counter by highlighting systemic accountability gaps tied to his drug war.
President Marcos Jr.’s compliance with the ICC warrant—citing Interpol obligations—has strained his alliance with Duterte loyalists, who accuse him of betrayal. This rift could weaken the coalition’s cohesion, forcing candidates to choose between retaining Duterte’s voter base or aligning with Marcos’s broader political machinery.
The ICC’s September 2025 confirmation hearing ensures Duterte’s case will remain a campaign issue, testing whether nostalgia for his Iron Fist way of governing or demands for accountability dominates voter sentiment. For the Filipinos who trusted him, his arrest has become a battle cry for defiance—a volatile force in an election already fraught with dynastic rivalries and disinformation.
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Jaiza Eugenie S. Racoma is a third-year Political Science student at the University of Cebu–Main Campus. She exemplifies the exercise of freedom of speech by openly expressing her interests and constructive critiques regarding the political landscape in the Philippines.
