Survey: 44% want Duterte to face ICC trial in The Hague

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Nearly half of Filipinos believe former President Rodrigo Duterte should remain in The Hague and face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s war on drugs.

According to the WR Numero Philippine Public Opinion Monitor’s November 2025 survey, 44 percent of respondents support Duterte continuing to face ICC proceedings following the rejection of his request for interim release.

The survey, conducted from November 21 to 28 with 1,412 face-to-face interviews nationwide, found that 33 percent of Filipinos disagree, while 23 percent are undecided.

Support for Duterte staying under ICC custody was strongest in Metro Manila (56 percent) and the rest of Luzon (49 percent), while opposition was highest in Mindanao (44 percent) and the Visayas (42 percent).

The same survey revealed that 41 percent of Filipinos believe the Marcos administration should prioritize enforcing the potential ICC arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former police chief and key figure in the drug war.

Thirty-six percent of respondents disagreed with prioritizing Dela Rosa’s arrest, while 24 percent were undecided.

Regional support for prioritizing Dela Rosa’s arrest was highest in Metro Manila (57 percent) and the rest of Luzon (51 percent), while disagreement was most pronounced in Mindanao (61 percent) and the Visayas (38 percent).

The report noted that 51 percent of Filipinos still consider it important to bring Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators to trial at the ICC, though this marks a 10-point drop from April 2025.

Meanwhile, 25 percent now consider the arrest of co-perpetrators unimportant (up by four points), and 23 percent remain undecided (up by five points).

The national survey has a margin of error of ±3 percent, with subnational margins of ±7 percent in the National Capital Region, ±4 percent in the rest of Luzon, ±6 percent in the Visayas, and ±5 percent in Mindanao, all at a 95 percent confidence level.

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.