Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte warned of what he described as a worsening “downward trajectory” in the country’s governance, law enforcement, and national sovereignty.
The acting mayor offered a candid take on the nation’s situation in a Facebook post following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) rejection of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal for interim release.
On Friday, the ICC Appeals Chamber upheld its earlier ruling denying the former president’s request for temporary liberty while proceedings related to the drug war investigation continue.
In his post, the younger Duterte said the country’s decline began years earlier when foreign diplomats, including those from the United States and other Western nations, publicly welcomed the release of high-profile personalities previously linked in public discourse to the illegal drug trade.
He claimed the gesture marked a symbolic “turning point,” after which illegal drugs allegedly became more pervasive and “predatory actors moved with relative confidence.”
Duterte added that the public is now witnessing “the looting of hard-earned taxes,” saying corruption and criminality appear to be increasingly normalized.
He also defended his father, asserting that the former president is now “treated primarily as a villain” despite his aggressive anti-drug campaign.
Duterte questioned why being “at war” with drugs is increasingly portrayed as harmful, while what he described as tolerance for the illegal drug trade is allegedly being normalized.
A significant portion of his post criticized what he called intrusive foreign influence, particularly from the United States.
He accused Washington of attempting to shape Philippine foreign policy and of “weaponizing” international institutions such as the ICC to advance its geopolitical interests.
He noted that several Western countries remain outside the ICC yet support its actions involving the Philippines—a situation which he argued allows them to “intervene in the affairs of other countries while shielding themselves from scrutiny.”
Duterte also questioned the presence of foreign representatives in local investigative efforts, including those involving the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), claiming it reinforces the impression that external actors are positioning themselves as arbiters of domestic governance.
“The pattern is simple. The law is enforced unevenly, the vulnerable remain exposed,” he wrote.
He criticized what he described as the “indifference” of institutions tasked to defend the Constitution and protect public welfare.
The acting mayor further accused the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of allowing foreign powers to “meddle deeply” in national affairs, saying this has contributed to widening social inequality and a system that favors elites while burdening ordinary citizens.
He concluded that the current system “is not designed to protect citizens or deter crime,” but instead preserves the comfort of a select few.
“The machinery of the state can still move with great force, but not against those who built, benefit from, and maintain it—only against those left to bear its weight,” he said.
Malacañang and relevant national agencies have yet to respond to Duterte’s statements as of press time.
