Former Philippines President Duterte Arrested for Crimes

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday in Manila by police acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant citing crimes against humanity tied to his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte was arrested after landing at Manila's international airport following a brief trip to Hong Kong.

Speaking to thousands of overseas Filipino workers there on Sunday, the former president decried the investigation, labelling ICC investigators "sons of whores" while saying he would "accept it" if an arrest were to be his fate .

The case resumed in July 2023 after a five-judge panel rejected the Philippines’ objection that the court lacked jurisdiction.

Since then, the government of President Ferdinand Marcos has on numerous instances said it would not cooperate with the investigation.

But Undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office Claire Castro on Sunday said that if Interpol would "ask the necessary assistance from the government, it is obliged to follow".

At the opening of a Philippine Senate probe into the drug war in October, Duterte said he offered "no apologies, no excuses" for his actions.

"I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it or not, I did it for my country," he said.