While it is true that the ICC arrest and the functioning of Philippine courts are not mutually exclusive, it is clear that the intention of the government had always been to send Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The manner in which the arrest was carried out indicates it was carefully planned, albeit not necessarily premeditated. As proof, the apprehension was almost seamless, even perfectly synchronized with his arrival from Hong Kong, and the subsequent handover was logistically equipped, with a private jet chartered for that purpose.

From the very get-go, that had always been the plan. Otherwise, the government could have facilitated the filing of cases here and perhaps could have even assisted the victims in their quest for justice.

Instead of doing that, Congress probed into the nitty-gritty of the war on drugs, culminating in Duterte’s own appearance as a resource person, where he allegedly made admissions about his culpability. Such an investigation is certainly meant to drum up narratives in the hope of reinvigorating efforts to convince the ICC to get aggressive and proceed with its own case.

But why the ICC? It makes better sense because it deprives the former president of the opportunity to make so much political noise, as he normally does. Note that he still enjoys immense support from the public.

By sending him away and perhaps removing Sara as VP via impeachment, they could no longer pull punches come 2028. Based on surveys conducted so far, his daughter remains a force to reckon with despite the attacks made against her person and office.

I don’t buy the idea that Duterte can still wield so much influence if cases were filed here instead. The fact that they could conveniently hand him over to the ICC or lambast the VP presupposes they now have the upper hand.

To be honest, Duterte has no one to blame but himself for his unfortunate comeuppance. He could have chosen to remain quiet, if not cooperate with the President, who initially had vowed not to cooperate with the ICC at all costs.

The break-up of the supposed “Uni-Team,” apart from the fact that the Speaker is reportedly interested in eyeing the presidency and therefore would want to weed out Sara, is also due to the blatant criticisms the former Chief Executive had been recklessly throwing left and right against BBM.

At any rate, it should be noted that Duterte remains popular. So, it remains to be seen how the government would delicately handle this situation. Any wrong move may backfire, and Duterte may even die as a martyr or even a hero in the eyes of many. So, the evil that is sought to be prevented — that is, to stifle their political chances — may ironically be advanced instead.

This is the problem when a ploy is initiated for political gains more than anything else. But that has always been the story of our political experience.