The Supreme Court has launched a comprehensive inquiry into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague, directing Malacañang and key Cabinet officials to respond within 30 days.
The order came out following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) denial of the former president’s appeal for interim release last Friday.
The En Banc action, dated November 11, 2025, arises from habeas corpus petitions filed on Duterte’s behalf by his children namely acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Davao City First District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, and Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, who questioned whether Philippine authorities acted within domestic law when they detained the former president and surrendered him to the ICC.
Named as respondents are top officials involved in Duterte’s arrest, including former Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin; Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla; Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla; Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo; Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra; Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco; then Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil; then Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Major Gen. Nicolas Torre III; Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr.; Philippine Center on Transnational Crime Executive Director LtGen Antonio Alcantara; and officers Capt. Johnny Gulla and Capt. Elmo Segovia.
The Supreme Court is demanding a full account of the steps leading to Duterte’s transfer, including whether the process amounted to a surrender or extradition to a foreign tribunal without adhering to constitutional and statutory procedures.
The inquiry further considers potential violations of Duterte’s constitutional rights, the legality of government actions, and whether the case remains legally relevant in light of subsequent developments.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11, 2025, under an ICC warrant and immediately transported to The Hague, where he was placed under ICC custody.
