Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo canceled his planned official trip to The Hague at the last minute, according to the Supreme Court’s Office of the Spokesperson.

Originally, the chief justice was set to travel to The Hague for the signing of the Terms of Reference with the Hague Academy of International Law.

In a statement released Saturday evening, the Office of the Spokesperson revealed that although Special Order 3167 was issued on 10 March 2025, designating Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen as acting chief justice starting 12 March, that order “did not take effect” because Gesmundo decided to remain in the country.

The Supreme Court has received multiple urgent petitions filed by Duterte family members and allies, criticizing the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC.

It added that the clarification was issued “in response to social media posts and queries from the media.”

The decision came as the Supreme Court faced one of its most politically explosive cases in years: a legal battle over the controversial arrest and detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague.

The former president is now officially under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is currently lodged at its detention center in Scheveningen while facing proceedings for crimes against humanity charges.

Some are asking if Gesmundo’s sudden change of plans is connected to Duterte’s imprisonment at The Hague and the successive petitions for habeas corpus filed by his three children, asking that their father be returned to the country after he was flown to The Hague.

The Supreme Court has received multiple urgent petitions filed by Duterte family members and allies, criticizing the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC.

Former President Duterte, along with Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, accused the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of committing “grave abuse of discretion” by facilitating the ICC’s probe into Duterte’s bloody drug war.