Six weeks ago, a van with flowers piled up high at the International Criminal Court detention center in The Hague. The court also received delivery of birthday cards. Lots of them.
They were all for Rodrigo Duterte, the latest prisoner, former Philippine president, who turned 80 on March 28th. He was accused of crimes against humanity and was able to spend the rest of his life in prison.
“The place was overflowing with flowers. I didn't know what they would do with it, so I brought up some of the emails,” Duterte's lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, said in a phone interview. He said the court left three mail for Mr Duterte, whom he could not review. In the Philippines, thousands of people dressed in greenery related to Duterte's political party flooded the streets of Davao city.
Duterte ordered a brutal gas campaign in which tens of thousands of people died during the presidency, but remains extremely popular in the Philippines. With the Filipinos voting in Monday's midterm elections, he is expected to win another term as his eighth Davao mayor due to the landslide. For now, he continues to maintain his office qualifications.
Duterte's sudden arrest and extradition to The Hague in March split the Philippines sharply. While some polls show that the majority of Filipinos support international surveys, many of Duterte's supporters believe he is a victim of political persecution by former Duterte's ally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Shortly after Duterte's dramatic arrest, Marcos' approval rate plunged from 42% a month ago to 25% in a survey conducted by Pulse Asia. But that of Sarah Duterte, now vice president and daughter of Mr Duterte, rose from 52% to 59%.
Duterte has long been considered a future presidential candidate. But the election, which has half the Senate in hand, could prove crucial to her. She has been blasted on charges that include corruption, a conspiracy to assassinate Marcos, involvement in the murder of the drug war and incitement to insurrection, and the country's 24 senators will decide whether to convict her this summer.
In Davao, where Duterte remains loved 22 years later as mayor, his dynasty is thriving. His son, Sebastian, who is likely to win the substitution race, is expected to act as mayor if his father wins. At least seven members of his family were able to participate in the local government.
For the first time, three politicians, Nogreles, Garcia and the AL-Ags, are combining their strengths to challenge Dutertes, the former political ally of Davao. But even Bernie Al Agu, who is now opposed to Sebastian Duterte, said he was unhappy with Rodrigo Duterte's arrest.
“I also see him as my father figure,” said Al Agu, former deputy mayor of Davao. “I'm continuing to pray for him.”
Mags Maglana, an NGO worker running for a parliamentary seat against Duterte's son, Paolo Duterte, said before Duterte's arrest, Davao people could distinguish between the patriarch and those around him.
But she is now worried that “the pouring of sympathy for her father will be cascaded into the rest of the family.”
Duterte's camp uses cases in The Hague as a campaign tool. A video of his arrest was played at a rally in Manila on Thursday. His supporters wore a T-shirt and carried a poster saying, “I'll bring him home.” Duterte told attendees the country “pays the price to elect the wrong leader.”
“What's even more painful is that they lure the former president and quickly throw him into another country and tested him by foreigners,” she said.
The Netherlands, another country, is far from the life Duterte is used to.
The first problem was the food. (It is unknown if it will be served exactly at detention facilities, but former Liberian president Charles Taylor once complained that food was “euro-centric.”
ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said the court had not commented on issues relating to the private lives of detainees.
According to Kaufman, Duterte said it was “not used” in the meals he was being served, urging his lawyers to request “culturally appropriate food.” Duterte is the rice he's getting now for Duterte.
“That's what we wanted and it's perfectly cooked,” Duterte previously told reporters in The Hague. “Modify according to the taste of the Philippines.”
Duterte said Duterte's family was allowed to supply him with food items, including his much-needed zero coke. She told reporters that he complained about why he's only got Coke Zero once a day, and that he needed at least two cans a day.
Life is continuous. Duterte meets with Kaufman every morning in the conference room. In the afternoon he meets with his family. He allows time to exercise at gyms established on the court to play basketball, tennis and badminton. There is another communal space with a foosball table. He is one of six people in custody, according to court records.
Duterte said his diabetic father is monitoring nurses. He can review the library books and his defense declarations, but access to computers that are not connected to the internet. Late at night or afternoon, he is permitted to call pre-examined numbers. He has a TV so he can watch the news.
“Just kidding, some people call it a five-star Hilton,” Kaufman said. “But it's still a prison.”
The small detention facility is located within the Dutch prison in The Hague. The first head of state held there was Laurent Gubagbo of Ivory Coast. He was acquitted along with another Koyborian political leader, Charles Bre Gaudé, represented by Mr. Kaufman.
Kaufman, who filed the court earlier this month, argued that when the Philippines allowed the court to investigate the war on drugs in September 2021, there was no legal basis for a lawsuit against Duterte, as the Philippines is no longer a party of Roman law and is no longer a party of Roman law.
A confirmation hearing of the claim is scheduled for September 23rd.
In Davao, dozens of volunteers have been camping in front of Duterte's home since their arrest. Online seller Janice Mapus, 45, said she was sleeping outside the house.
“We won't get tired of waiting for him,” she said.
Aie balagtas see the contributions report.
