The Dynasty Divided
A political earthquake is tearing through the Philippines. Former President Rodrigo Duterte, once untouchable, now sits in a Hague cell—and his legal lifeline is a Senate probe led by Senator Imee Marcos, sister of the current president.
In a bombshell legal filing, Duterte’s lawyers claim President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. secretly agreed the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no authority over the case. They point to a 2023 letter where Marcos vowed not to assist the ICC “in any way, shape, or form.” That letter, unveiled during a Senate hearing chaired by Imee Marcos, has become central to Duterte’s fight for freedom.
“They Stole My Father”
“This isn’t justice—it’s theater,” argues Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman. “The ICC had no right to investigate. The Philippines quit the court in 2019.”
But the Marcos-Duterte alliance, once a powerhouse, lies in ruins. President Marcos defended Duterte’s arrest as a duty to Interpol—a move critics call revenge after Vice President Sara Duterte, Rodrigo’s daughter, faced impeachment last month.
Loyalty and Lies
At a fiery rally in Zamboanga, Sara Duterte thanked Imee Marcos for probing her father’s arrest: “She helped us gather evidence to fight this injustice.” Imee, whose family was exiled to Hawaii decades ago, vowed, “We won’t back down. This happened to my father too.”
The Senate hearings—packed with witness testimonies and government confessions—could sway ICC judges deciding Duterte’s fate. Yet for families like the Pascuals, whose son was killed in Duterte’s drug war, patience is gone. “They called him a criminal and shot him six times,” said Christine Pascual. “He never even owned a bike.”
What Comes Next?
Duterte’s lawyers plan to push for his release, arguing jurisdictional flaws. The ICC insists it can prosecute crimes committed before the Philippines’ 2019 exit. On Manila’s streets, chaos reigns: Duterte loyalists scream “Foreign puppets!” while victims’ families chant “No more lies!”
One truth cuts through the noise: in Philippine politics, loyalty is fleeting—and power is always for sale.
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