duterte icc detention

A COMPREHENSIVE written statement submitted to the 62nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of executing a “totalitarian political purge,” starting with former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

The 4-page document, submitted by the International Career Support Association (ICSA)—an NGO in special consultative status—claims that the domestic campaign to neutralize the Duterte family has actively subverted democratic institutions in the Philippines through systemic corruption, institutional bribery, and asset liquidation.

The ₱20-M impeachment bribe allegation

Among the most explosive claims detailed in the submission is an alleged institutional buy-out within Congress to legally disqualify Vice President Sara Duterte from the 2028 presidential election.

According to the document posted by Fujiki in his Facebook account, Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste formally exposed an operational bribe originally brought to light by the President’s own sister, Senator Imee Marcos.

The submission alleged that members of the House of Representatives were offered ₱20 million each in exchange for voting in favor of the Vice President’s impeachment.

The statement asserts that the move was intentionally manufactured to neutralize the Vice President due to her “overwhelmingly superior national popularity rating compared to the Marcos faction.

“Alleged plunder of welfare funds and sovereign gold liquidationThe UN submission further alleges that the immense financial capital required to fund these congressional bribes was siphoned directly from critical state infrastructure and public welfare sectors.

Citing ongoing legislative investigations, the report claims that out of the ₱545.6 billion national budget earmarked for urgent flood control projects, billions have vanished into “ghost projects” and contractor monopolies.

It also points to a suspicious depletion of public funds within the Social Security System (SSS), national healthcare, and development sectors.

Compounding the economic allegations, the document notes that “grave alarms” have been raised in the Senate regarding the irregular and aggressive unloading of the nation’s sovereign assets.

Under current leadership, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reportedly became the top global seller of gold, liquidating nearly 25 tons of the country’s gold reserves within a remarkably short window.

The opposition has denounced the liquidation as a systematic strategy to generate untraceable cash reserves used to fund domestic bribery networks and secure the regime’s political survival.

Targeting political allies and the Senate arrest attempt

Illustrating what it calls an active “domestic coup,” the statement highlights the highly controversial May 15, 2026 attempt within the Senate of the Philippines to arrest sitting Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa—the former PNP Chief who led the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign and remains a critical political ally of the family.

The convergence of these events, the document argues, provides empirical proof that law enforcement mechanisms and legislative processes are being weaponized for political coercion.

Accusations of ICC weaponization

The submission also takes aim at the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of violating the principle of political neutrality under Article 42(3) of the Rome Statute.

By accepting a “selectively surrendered” target from a regime allegedly utilizing looted public funds to purchase the political demise of the defendant’s family, the statement argues the ICC has severely compromised its objectivity and allowed itself to become an “enforcement echo chamber” for the ruling faction in Manila.

Furthermore, the document challenges the statistical foundation of the ICC prosecution, asserting that it relies heavily on exaggerated and unverified data from biased non-governmental organizations.

The statement contrasts publicized casualty figures of 12,000 to 30,000 deaths with verified Philippine National Police (PNP) data, which documents the actual number of casualties in legitimate anti-drug operations to be 6,252—all involving armed suspects resisting arrest ( nanlaban ).

Demands for immediate release

Asserting that the 81-year-old former President has been held in continuous, unconditional physical detention at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague for over 14 months since his arrest in March 2025, the submitting party made a series of definitive recommendations to the UNHRC:

• Condemn the Political Instrumentalization of International Justice: Issue a strong warning against the weaponization of the ICC to settle domestic political scores and eliminate opposition leaders.
• Demand Immediate Provisional Release: Call upon the ICC to grant immediate interim or conditional release to Rodrigo Roa Duterte on humanitarian grounds, citing his advanced age (81) and declining health.
• Direct an Investigation: Request the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) to formally assess procedural violations and the breach of prosecutorial neutrality in light of state-sponsored corruption surrounding the case.

Malacañang and leadership of the House of Representatives have yet to issue an official statement responding to the specific allegations contained within the UN document.