Duterte supporters urge Supreme Court to rule on ICC petitions

Members of PDP-Laban and supporters of the Duterte family staged a protest demonstration outside the Supreme Court gates along Padre Faura Street on Tuesday.

The multisectoral group called for the swift resolution of long-pending judicial petitions concerning the potential implementation of International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.

The pending cases before the high tribunal involve separate petitions filed by Duterte and Dela Rosa challenging the enforcement of ICC arrest warrants in the Philippines.

The primary petition, originally filed on 11 March 2025, contests the Philippine government's cooperation with the ICC and seeks to permanently prohibit the domestic enforcement of the international warrants.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the main constitutional questions concerning whether foreign-issued international warrants can be enforced within Philippine territory without an order from a domestic judge.

Following Duterte's arrest at the airport in March 2025, his children filed consolidated habeas corpus petitions seeking his immediate release from ICC custody.

These petitions have remained pending before the court for nearly 600 days. Duterte remains detained in The Hague, where his formal trial is scheduled to begin on 30 November 2026.

In May 2026, the Supreme Court voted 9-5-1 to deny Dela Rosa's request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) or status quo ante order, ruling that he had no clear right to blanket protection from arrest.

Dela Rosa, who is currently in hiding while facing a ₱50-million government bounty, filed a fresh manifestation on 27 October 2026, urging the high court to rule on his pending motion for reconsideration and reverse its earlier decision.

Demonstrators lined the sidewalk with white placards bearing the slogans “SC: JUSTICE DELAY, JUSTICE DENIED” and “SUPREME COURT: JUSTICE DELAY, JUSTICE BAYAD” to express their frustration over what they described as delays in the proceedings.

Alongside the protest, PDP-Laban leaders issued an open letter addressed to the high tribunal.

Acting Chairman Alfonso Cusi emphasized that the party was not seeking preferential treatment or judicial partiality.

The letter called on the court to promptly resolve the pending consolidated habeas corpus petitions and TRO motions, regardless of whether the final decision favors the government or the petitioners.

Organizers warned that continued delays and conflicting interpretations of the law concerning the domestic enforcement of international ICC warrants could heighten security concerns and political polarization.