The people behind the unreasonable and high-handed police operation against former President Rodrigo Duterte have just made a martyr of their feared political foe.

Coming at a crucial period before the national elections, the arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) will significantly influence the outcome of the midterm polls.

What kicked off a public outcry was the overkill when the former leader who had no intention to elude arrest was taken into custody.

According to a statement from Malacañang, Interpol Manila received and served the ICC warrant of arrest.

The Palace had previously stated that it would not act on an ICC warrant; however, it would have to comply with international obligations if the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) served him with an arrest warrant.

The country withdrew from the Rome Statute that created the ICC in 2019.

The manner of the arrest sparked widespread outrage, particularly due to the way it was handled against a man who once held the nation’s highest office.

The arrest was marked by a show of force disproportionate to the situation, suggesting a deliberate attempt to humiliate rather than simply enforce justice.

For a former head of state, such overkill undermines the dignity of the office he once held and sets a troubling precedent for how political adversaries are treated.

The heavy-handed approach is particularly shocking when one considers Duterte’s age and status.

At 79 years old, turning 80 on 28 March, he is an elderly citizen who, while controversial, willingly relinquished power, adhering to constitutional limits.

The use of military tactics against him, in an apparent disregard for his physical vulnerability, reeks of political retribution rather than a pursuit of accountability.

A former president, regardless of his record, deserves a process that considers and respects his prior service to the nation and the symbolic weight of his former role.

Mr. Duterte never sought to be exempted from justice but the way the arrest was carried out with an ostentatious display of force was not necessary when a summons or other dignified approach would have sufficed.

The overreach by law enforcement risks eroding the public trust, particularly for the dark political forces allied with the administration at a time when they are already under scrutiny.

Duterte’s arrest could have been an opportunity to demonstrate a fair and transparent legal process.

If the goal was to hold Duterte accountable, the desperate act only showed the effort to prioritize spectacle over substance.

His being summoned to a foreign court has reignited the debate about the role of the ICC in the Philippines, a nation with a fully functioning judiciary capable of addressing legal matters.

The ICC’s involvement represents an overreach into our sovereignty.

The ICC’s pursuit of Mr. Duterte, who is tied to alleged crimes against humanity during his unrelenting war on drugs, is an unnecessary intrusion, especially after the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019.

The withdrawal was intended to shield the nation from foreign meddling, yet the ICC was made to prevail through its supposed jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member.

Duterte’s defiance in the face of the perceived interference was fully captured in his statement just before disembarking from a flight back from Hong Kong, “You will just have to kill me because I won’t agree if you’re siding with the white people.”

The former Chief Executive has consistently rejected the ICC, which he has labeled a tool of Western powers meddling in Filipino affairs.

His words reflected his personal resistance, national pride and skepticism toward international bodies, accusing them of imposing foreign standards on a sovereign state.

Mr. Duterte made a strong stand that any reckoning for his actions should occur on Philippine soil, under Filipino jurisdiction, rather than in an illegitimate international courtroom.

The ICC arrest will be the catalyst to crack wide open the fault lines which, if wrongly handled, may result in a political upheaval.