Why Rodrigo Duterte Was Arrested Now

The arrest warrant was delivered to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines in Manila at 3 a.m. Tuesday. The individual named on it: his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, the firebrand whose conflict on medicine left hundreds of individuals lifeless.

However appearing on the warrant from the Worldwide Prison Courtroom was not simple, because the Philippines will not be a member of the court docket. So at 6:30 a.m., Mr. Marcos’s authorities acquired one other warrant for Mr. Duterte, this time from Interpol, which was appearing on the court docket’s behalf and of which the Philippines is a member.

Mr. Marcos recalled his subsequent step in an tackle to the nation on Tuesday. “OK, we’ll put all our plans into place, and let’s proceed as we had mentioned,” he relayed having informed the pinnacle of his justice division.

Just some hours later, Mr. Duterte — who lengthy appeared above the legislation — was arrested in Manila. By the top of the day, he had been placed on a aircraft sure for The Hague to face fees of crimes towards humanity.

It was a swift coda to a protracted chapter of impunity within the Philippines. Solely a handful of individuals have been convicted in reference to the killings in Mr. Duterte’s drug conflict, during which as many as 30,000 are estimated to have died. Now, the person who publicly took credit score for the carnage was being despatched to a court docket of legislation to face justice, partly due to a shift in political winds.

Mr. Marcos, the son of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, rose to energy after forming an alliance with Sara Duterte, a daughter of Mr. Duterte’s. Working on a platform of nationwide unity, they received the presidency and vice presidency in 2022. However their marriage of comfort began unraveling rapidly, pushed by distrust.