Majority of Filipinos Back ICC Arrest of Duterte Allies

By Francis Allan L.Angelo

More than six in 10 Filipinos believe former President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators in the war on drugs should be arrested and face the International Criminal Court, according to the latest WR Numero survey.

The non-partisan public opinion firm’s April 2025 Philippine Public Opinion Monitor showed that 61% of Filipinos agree Duterte’s collaborators should be brought before the ICC.

Meanwhile, 21% of respondents disagreed, and 18% were unsure. (See Table 1)

Support for the arrest of co-perpetrators was highest in South Luzon at 75%, followed by Metro Manila at 73%, the Visayas at 70%, and North and Central Luzon at 67%.

Mindanao showed the highest disagreement, where 42% opposed the move, 27% supported it, and 32% remained undecided.

When asked if President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should prioritize arresting Duterte’s alleged collaborators should an ICC warrant be issued, 48% of Filipinos agreed, 31% disagreed, and 21% were unsure. (See Table 2)

Filipinos were also asked to name individuals they believe could face an ICC arrest warrant alongside Duterte.

More than seven in 10 Filipinos, or 71%, did not provide names.

Of those who did, 20% identified Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as a possible recipient of an ICC warrant. (See Table 3)

Other figures mentioned include Marcos Jr. (3%), former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (2%), Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go (0.9%), Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Nicolas Dela Torre (0.6%), and Vice President Sara Duterte and other Duterte family members (0.6%). (See Table 3)

Opinions were divided on whether the Senate should protect Dela Rosa from potential ICC arrest proceedings, with 40% favoring Senate protection, 38% opposing it, and 22% undecided. (See Table 4)

The survey questions were commissioned by Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio.

WR Numero conducted the survey from March 31 to April 7, 2025, using face-to-face interviews with 1,894 registered voters nationwide.

The survey has a ±2% margin of error at a 95% confidence level nationwide and a ±5% to ±6% margin at the regional level.

The findings are part of the WR Numero Philippine Public Opinion Monitor, Volume 2025, Issue 2, which also tracks voter preferences for the May 2025 and 2028 elections, and public opinion on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

For updates on the full survey release, sign up at bit.ly/PPOMSignup.