ALMOST a majority of Filipinos (44%) believe former President Rodrigo Duterte should stay in The Hague and face charges filed against him in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Meanwhile, 41% of Filipinos think the Marcos administration should prioritize enforcing Senator Bato Dela Rosa’s potential ICC arrest warrant.
The latest Philippine Public Opinion Monitor asked respondents what they think of the ongoing ICC proceedings, including the recent rejection of the ICC Appeals Court of the former President. Duterte’s request for an interim release, as well as the recently released potential arrest warrant against Sen. Dela Rosa as a co-perpetrator during the presidency. Duterte’s war on drugs.
The non-commissioned survey, conducted from Nov. 21-28, was done through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,412 Filipinos residing in the Philippines.
The nationwide survey found that 44% of respondents think that the former president should stay in The Hague to continue to face charges for crimes against humanity, including murder, for killings related to the drug war. Meanwhile, 33% disagree, and 23% are unsure.
Across areas, support for Duterte staying in The Hague is more pronounced among Filipinos in Metro Manila (56%) and Rest of Luzon (49%). In contrast, disagreement peaks among Filipinos in Mindanao (44%) and Visayas (42%).
When asked whether President Marcos Jr. should prioritize enforcing the ICC arrest warrant against Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, 2 in 5 Filipinos (41%) say he should. In contrast, 36% disagree, while 24% are unsure.
By region, support for President. Marcos Jr. to prioritize the arrest is highest in Metro Manila (57%) and the rest of Luzon (51%). In contrast, disagreement is higher among Filipinos in Visayas (38%) and Mindanao (61%).
Views on holding co-perpetrators accountable
The demand for accountability extends beyond Duterte. A majority of Filipinos (51%) still believe it is important to bring former President Duterte’s co-perpetrators to trial at the ICC for crimes against humanity related to the drug war, down 10 percentage points from April 2025. Meanwhile, 25% view their arrest as unimportant, up four points from April, while 23% remain undecided, five points higher than earlier this year.
The nationwide survey, conducted from November 21 to 28, has a margin of error of ±3% at a 95% confidence level. At the subnational level, the margin of error is ±7% for the National Capital Region, ±4% for the rest of Luzon, ±6% for the Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao, all at the same 95% confidence level.
These findings form part of the WR Numero Philippine Public Opinion Monitor, Volume 2025, Issue 5 (November 2025 National Survey). The latest WR Numero November 2025 National Survey includes Filipinos’ latest perception on the flood corruption scandal and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure investigations, performance assessment of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, Senators, Congress, and the Judiciary, as well as views on the latest International Criminal Court proceedings, and policy priorities of Filipinos, among others.
