Veronica “Kitty” Duterte is set to file a petition before the Supreme Court seeking the return of her father, former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD), to the Philippines following his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

According to former chief presidential legal counsel and spokesperson Salvador Panelo, he and his son, Salvador Paolo Jr., will assist Kitty in filing a writ of habeas corpus petition on Wednesday, 12 March. 

In a statement, Panelo said the petition would be “against the Philippine government for detaining a Filipino citizen, former President Rodrigo Duterte, kidnapping him, and surrendering him to a foreign institution.”

A writ of habeas corpus is a court order that requires authorities to release a detained person so they can appear in court and determine whether their imprisonment is lawful. 

It serves as a crucial legal safeguard against detention and protects individuals from being held without due process.

In the case of FPRRD, his daughter Kitty is invoking this legal remedy to challenge what she and her legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, describe as an unlawful arrest and extradition. 

By filing the petition before the Supreme Court, they aim to compel the government to justify Duterte’s detention and secure his return to the Philippines.

On Tuesday night, the older Duterte was being taken to The Hague, Netherlands, to face charges related to the alleged crimes on humanity during his administration’s war on drugs.