BY IME SORNITO, JEAN KISMER DIONELA, AND DARELL CASTOR
ILOILO City – Ilonggos have voiced differing opinions on the March 11 arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte who was right away flown to The Hague in the Nertherlands where he would stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his controversial war on drugs.
Former Iloilo 5th District congressman Rolex Suplico expressed concern that the government acted hastily in transporting Duterte to The Hague.
“I feel that our government hastily boarded Duterte on the plane to quickly remove him from our country. I feel that he was not accorded his rights, and we did everything to get him out,” Suplico said.
He also speculated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. likely authorized the action, as the logistics of finding a chartered flight and organizing the arrest could not have been done in just one day.
“Maybe the plan was already in place, and they were just waiting for the right timing to arrest Duterte. It was just a matter of timing when he went to Hong Kong,” Suplico added.
Duterte was in Hong Kong over the weekend for a gathering of overseas Filipino workers. He returned to the country on Tuesday. He was right away served with an arrest warrant from the ICC coursed through the Interpol.
But Suplico said there seemed to be an absence of protocol in executing the ICC arrest warrant, particularly because the former president’s legal counsel had already approached the Supreme Court before Duterte was flown to the Netherlands.
“I can’t help but think of the famous phrase ‘like a thief in the night.’ This scenario makes me wonder if there was something malicious about what happened,” Suplico said.
Meanwhile, former Iloilo City councilor Plaridel Nava said he could not overlook how the former president had saved his life during a critical battle against drug lords and their protectors.
“Had it not been for PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte), I could have been buried six feet below the ground. Now is the time to at least repay PRRD by showing him my full sympathy and a strong condemnation of his unlawful and arbitrary arrest,” Nava said.
In contrast, former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog expressed gratitude for the justice he believes the arrest represents.
“As the news of the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte reaches us, I pause not to celebrate, but to reflect with a heart full of gratitude to God — for His justice, His mercy, and His unfailing love,” Mabilog said.
In 2027 then Mayor Mabilog, fearing for his life, left the country and sought political asylum in the United States following consist verbal threats from Duterte who linked him to illegal drugs.
Mabilog denied having anything to do with illegal drugs.
“My beloved wife and children have endured so much — standing beside me with silent strength and courage, though still living in fear for our safety and future. My late mother, who has now joined our Creator, carried these pains in her heart, and though she is no longer with us, I know she is at peace in God’s presence, her prayers answered in ways we are only beginning to see,” said Mabilog.
After hearing of Duterte’s arrest, Mabilog offered a prayer for healing and justice, emphasizing that the nation must choose love and unity over division.
Others, like 50-year-old Molo district resident Gina Llanto, were conflicted. She felt that while Duterte’s administration had its flaws, many of the people killed during his term, especially drug traffickers, may have deserved their fate.
“Yes, many killings happened during Duterte’s time, but the people who were killed were often drug lords. Maybe it was necessary for them to be killed. But I’m not sure about what others think,” Llanto said.
Eighteen-year-old Gellinae, a first-year student at the University of Iloilo, remarked that the arrest had been expected given the numerous pending cases against the former president.
“We can’t say the war on drugs had a positive outcome because there were many innocent minors involved. The common defense of the authorities is that they fought back during police operations,” Gellinae said.
Meanwhile, 37-year-old driver OJ from Barangay Rizal Estanzuela expressed sadness over the arrest, stating that Duterte was one of the best presidents the country had, and that his actions helped improve the country.
“The people who were killed were the ones who didn’t contribute anything to society, like drug lords. At least, even our generation and children can live peacefully,” OJ said.
Walter Gimeol, a resident of La Puz district and a tricycle driver, believes Duterte’s arrest was warranted due to the former president’s actions, stating that innocent people had been killed under his administration.
“Even innocent people were killed. They ended up dead even on mere suspicion. Here in Iloilo, under his presidency, you would be killed by riding-in-tandem assassins,” Gimeol said./PN
