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The Philippine National Police (PNP) has gone on heightened alert ahead of developments in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, a move that reflects not just security concerns but the deepening political rupture between the Duterte and Marcos camps as the country edges closer to the 2028 presidential race.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said Sunday that all police units have been placed on increased readiness as authorities monitor possible protests linked to Duterte’s ICC proceedings.

“Our security measures are in place, and they are intended to ensure the peaceful conduct of any activity in public places,” Nartatez said, adding that police personnel would protect the rights of all groups while maintaining peace and order.

Behind the security posture, however, lies a far more combustible political backdrop — one rooted in a collapsed alliance that once delivered the biggest electoral mandate in post-EDSA history, 40 years since People Power toppled a dictator, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s father and namesake.

Duterte, now facing a pretrial “confirmation of charges” hearing at the ICC on Monday, 23 February, was the same president who allowed the burial of the late Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016, a decision that helped rehabilitate the Marcos name and paved the way for the family’s political resurgence.

That gesture of reconciliation, once seen as historic, now stands in stark contrast to the present reality: a Marcos administration that initially vowed not to cooperate with the ICC but later facilitated Duterte’s arrest through what officials described as cooperation with Interpol in serving an ICC-issued warrant.

The arrest — carried out when Duterte arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport — was viewed by his allies as a betrayal, effectively handing over a former president “on a silver platter,” despite earlier assurances that the Philippines, having withdrawn from the Rome Statute, would not assist the tribunal.

The fallout has been swift and political.

Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter and once President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s running mate, has since publicly broken with the administration and announced her intention to run for president in 2028.

Open war

The vice president’s declaration formalized what had long been evident: the UniTeam alliance that catapulted Marcos and Sara to the top two posts of the land is dead, replaced by open hostility and competing power centers.

Adding to the volatility is the looming impeachment threat against Sara, with her critics moving to hold her accountable on multiple fronts.

Duterte allies, in turn, have framed the ICC case against her father as part of a broader effort to weaken the Duterte bloc ahead of the next national elections.

It is within this charged environment that the PNP has raised its alert level.

Nartatez said regional units have been ordered to pre-position Civil Disturbance Management teams and place medical responders on standby, a precaution he said was meant to ensure public safety should demonstrations erupt.

“Maximum tolerance will be strictly observed, but the law will be upheld,” he said. “Our personnel are instructed to remain professional and avoid any confrontation.”

The police chief also appealed for sobriety from both supporters and critics of Duterte, urging the public not to bring political conflict into the streets.

Still, the heightened security — coming as the ICC case moves forward and political tensions sharpen — has reinforced perceptions of a government bracing for backlash over a decision that has reopened old loyalties, revived unresolved grudges, and reshaped the country’s political fault lines.