Translator’s Note: Illiteracy and abject poverty mark the reality of the majority of people who have to live in this fascistic, capitalist, and Catholic country. Many White American and European men routinely visit the Philippines as part of the international sex tourism industry involving the trafficking, rape, and murder of children. Indeed, so corrupt is this country that even in the 1960s – The Beatles were lucky to get out of the country with their lives. Of course, as a corrupt capitalist State, the Philippines has been a staunch ally of the US since 1945. Together, the Vatican and Washington have worked in a pincer-movement to oppress any grassroots Revolutionary group claiming to represent the oppressed masses. There are also Islamo-fascist groups operating in the Philippines – killing anyone leftwing – or who does not agree with their ISIS-type ideology. In the midst of all this madness lie the drug-dealers. To compound matters, although many ordinary Philippines people hold pro-China viewpoints (as a counter-balance to the White Vatican and US influence) – the prominent “Socialist” movements tend to refer to themselves as “Maoist” – whilst “rejecting” modern China as a being a “Socialist” country.
The Philippines people we know are both “Maoist” and “pro-China” – so the issue can be complex. However, the US seeks to destabilise the region by demanding the Philippines continuously violates Chinese sovereign territory using its warships and fishing vessels. Given that nothing happens in the Philippines without US or Vatican approval – certainly no Revolutions are allowed – it logically follows that Trump must be behind the enforcing of the ICC warrant. China appears “concerned” that the ICC will deem “crackdowns” on illegal drug gangs as constituting a “Crime Against Humanity” – with such a decision used by the ICC (and the US) to attack China’s domestic policies. The point is that Duterte is guilty of so much more – part of which has been aimed at China! ACW (12.3.2025)
China closely monitors Duterte’s arrest
2025-03-12 chinadaily.com.cn Editor：Li Yan
Beijing responded on Tuesday to media reports regarding the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, stating that it has noticed the news and is closely monitoring the developments.
Duterte was arrested on Tuesday on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of crimes against humanity, the Associated Press quoted the Philippine government as saying.
“China has noticed the relevant news and is closely following the developments,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
She reiterated that China has always maintained that the ICC should strictly follow the principle of complementarity in jurisdiction.
The International Criminal Court should “exercise its powers prudently in accordance with the law and avoid politicization and double standards,” she added.
Not enough power to share: The political feud behind Rodrigo Duterte’s downfall
11.3.2025
Jonathan Head – BBC South East Asia Correspondent
Just short of his 80th birthday, Rodrigo Duterte, a man who once vowed to purge his country through a bloody anti-drugs and crime campaign, found himself outmanoeuvred and in custody.
The former president was met by Philippines police as he arrived in Manila on a flight from Hong Kong, where he had been rallying support for his candidates for the upcoming mid-term election among the large Filipino diaspora there.
The much-talked-about warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was, it turned out, already in the hands of the Philippines government, which moved swiftly to execute it.
A frail-looking Mr Duterte, walking with a stick, was moved to an air force base within the airport perimeter. A chartered jet was quickly prepared to take him to the ICC in The Hague.
How had this happened? How had a man so powerful and popular, often called “the Trump of Asia”, been brought so low?
In vain, his lawyers and family members protested that the arrest had no legal basis and complained that Duterte’s frail health was being neglected.
While in office, Mr Duterte formed an alliance with the Marcos family – the children of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos who had long been working on a political comeback. Mr Duterte could not run again in the 2022 election, but his daughter Sara, mayor of southern city of Davao, was also popular and a strong contender to replace him.
However, Ferdinand Marcos’s son Bongbong, who had been in politics all his life, was also well placed to win and very well-funded.
The two families struck a deal. They would work together to get Bongbong into the presidency and Sara into the vice-presidency, on the assumption that come the next election in 2028, her turn would come and she would have the formidable Marcos machine behind her.
It worked. Both won their positions by a wide margin. Mr Duterte expected that his alliance would protect him from any blowback over his controversial presidency once he was out of power.
The most serious threat hanging over him was an investigation by the ICC into his culpability for thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out during anti-drugs campaigns he ordered – after he became president in 2016, but also during his tenure as mayor of the southern city of Davao from 2011.
Mr Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the jurisdiction of the ICC in 2019, but its prosecutors argued they still had a mandate to look into alleged crimes against humanity committed before that, and launched a formal investigation in 2021. However, President Marcos initially stated that his government would not co-operate with the ICC.
That position only changed after the dramatic breakdown of the Duterte-Marcos alliance. Strains in their relationship were evident from the earliest days of the administration, when Sara Duterte’s request to be given control of the powerful defence ministry was turned down and she was given the education ministry instead.
President Marcos also distanced himself from his predecessor’s mercurial policies, mending fences with the US, standing up to China in contested seas, and stopping the blood-curdling threats of retribution against drug dealers.
In the end, these were two ambitious, power-hungry clans aiming to dominate Filipino politics, and there was not enough power for them to share. Relations reached a nadir last year when Sara Duterte announced that she had hired an assassin to kill President Marcos, should anything happen to her.
Late last year, the lower house of Congress, which is controlled by Marcos loyalists, filed a petition to impeach Ms Duterte. That trial is due to take place in the Senate later this year.
If she is impeached, under the constitution, she would be barred from holding high political office, killing her long-standing presidential ambitions and weakening the political power of the Dutertes even further.
President Marcos now appears to have moved deftly to neutralise his main political rival. But his strategy is not risk-free. The Dutertes remain popular in much of the country, and may be able to mobilise protests against the former president’s prosecution.
Sara Duterte has issued a statement accusing the government of surrendering her father to “foreign powers” and of violating Filipino sovereignty.
An early test of the support enjoyed by both clans will be the mid-term elections in May.
In his comments to journalists after the plane carrying his predecessor had taken off from Manila, President Marcos insisted he was meeting the country’s commitments to Interpol, which had delivered the ICC warrant. But he was coy about the fact that it was an ICC warrant he was executing, given that many Filipinos will question what the ICC’s remit is in a country which has already left its jurisdiction.
It is not risk-free for the ICC either. The court is an embattled institution these days, with the Trump administration threatening to arrest its top officials should they travel to the US, and few countries willing to extradite those it has indicted. Getting former President Duterte to The Hague might therefore look like a welcome high-profile success.
But there was a warning, from China – admittedly not a signatory to the ICC and currently at loggerheads with the Philippines – not to politicise ICC cases. This was a thinly-veiled reference to the fact that this case, which is supposed to be about accountability for serious international crimes, has ended up playing a decisive part in a domestic feud in the Philippines between two rival political forces.
Too Ridiculous – the Truth Behind Duterte’s Arrest is Revealed!
2025-03-12 Source: 梳子 (Shu Zi) Jiangsu
The Philippines is such a magical country, nothing is surprising when it happens there.
On March 11, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flew back to Manila from Hong Kong. What greeted him was not flowers and applause, but more than 7,000 police officers who were on high alert.
This former political strongman was arrested directly at the airport. The reason for his arrest was the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court a few days ago, accusing him of “crimes against humanity” in the “war on drugs” launched during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
In order to solve the uncontrollable drug problem at that time, Duterte adopted the method of severe punishment in troubled times and fighting violence with violence. He adopted a tough policy against drug traffickers and drug users, and even shot them directly on the streets. He achieved a significant deterrent effect in a short period of time. During his administration, the homicide rate in the Philippines dropped by 41%.
In this regard, some people support Duterte, while others strongly oppose it. The reason for their opposition is that it undermines the rule of law, creates an atmosphere of terror, and leads to the deaths of thousands or even tens of thousands of innocent people.
Including the International Criminal Court, investigations into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign began in 2016, and the case was officially launched in 2021.
Regarding the International Criminal Court, it is a rather magical organization. It was established in The Hague in July 2002, abbreviated as ICC. It mainly exercises jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression to prevent serious international crimes from occurring.
Currently, the ICC has a total of 123 member states, which is considered to be a large scale, but the United States, China and Russia have not joined it, which shows its embarrassing position.
Despite this, the International Criminal Court still managed to function, arresting and sentencing members of Congolese militias, Malian Islamic armed groups and other organizations for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In addition to Duterte, other celebrities currently wanted include Putin, Netanyahu and others. Putin is charged with illegally deporting Ukrainian children, while Netanyahu is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
As both are wanted, Putin and Netanyahu hold great power and prominent positions, so they will not be easily plotted against. Duterte, however, is not so lucky.
Duterte already knew that he was wanted in Hong Kong. Many people thought that he should go into exile to avoid the limelight. Unexpectedly, this strong man refused to believe in evil and still resolutely returned to the Philippines.
He was arrested as soon as he returned. What was even more incredible was that Duterte was sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague by plane on the same day.
Once sent to The Hague, it will be difficult for the 80-year-old Duterte to return to the Philippines and regain his freedom. His biggest mistake was to underestimate the strength and determination of his opponents.
It is not easy to catch a person with the power of the International Criminal Court alone, not to mention that the Philippines withdrew from this international organization as early as 2019. The one who really wants to kill Duterte is the current President Marcos.
The struggle between the Marcos and Duterte families has reached a fever pitch. A landmark event was the impeachment of Duterte’s daughter, Philippine Vice President Sara, by the House of Representatives on February 5 on charges of “suspected plotting to assassinate the president, the first lady and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
The reason is that on November 23 last year, Sarah said in tears during a live broadcast from her office: “If I am killed, I will kill President Marcos, the First Lady and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
How could a father just ignore his daughter being bullied? Especially since Duterte is fearless and has a hot temper, he will naturally stand up for her without any reservations. This time, the father and daughter came to Hong Kong to canvass for votes.
Little did they know that Marcos was one step more skilled and cleverly used the International Criminal Court to make it impossible for Duterte to live or die, and to force him to leave the Philippines forever. This tactic of killing someone with a borrowed knife was indeed a brilliant one.
Of course, after losing Duterte, his family and supporters will naturally not give up, and it is unpredictable to what extent the internal rift in the Philippines will be.
Regarding Duterte’s arrest, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, “This is an important emergency.”
It is not difficult to see from this sudden incident that whoever is cruel and quick to act will take the initiative.
Duterte was ruthless in dealing with drug dealers, but he underestimated the determination of his political opponents. As the saying goes, it is easy to dodge an open attack but difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark.
He questioned in Hong Kong: “What did I do wrong? I just want the Filipino people to live a peaceful life.”
When Marcos was running for president, he also vowed to make the people live a good life.
They all claim to be doing good for the people, but when the fight gets fierce, the people become spectators and tools. Perhaps this is the essence of the matter.
STATEMENT January 23, 2024 In the years that I served as Vice Mayor and Mayor of Davao City, my name was never once discussed or linked to the so-called Davao Death Squad. However, after I won as Vice President, suddenly there was a witness against me and now I am among the accused in the International Criminal Court. I do not need a death squad for the things that I can do. However, I will face any accusation against me. But I will only face any charge against me before a Filipino judge — and only before a Filipino court. I will not participate or be part of a process that will not only bring shame to the country but also crush the dignity of our judges, courts, and the entire justice system of the Philippines. Let us not embarrass the country to the whole world by allowing foreigners to interfere and meddle in the Philippines. The desire to submit to foreigners is a slap in the face of the Filipino heroes who sacrificed their lives and fought just for our freedom. Let’s put the Philippines first. Shukran.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 