FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte has responded to the looming possibility of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), maintaining that his actions during his administration’s war on drugs were for the Filipino people.
“I did everything during my term as president not for myself and my family but for the Filipino people,” Duterte said during a PDP-Laban campaign sortie in Hong Kong on Sunday.
“Assuming na totoo, totoo talaga ‘yung naririnig ninyo, bakit ko ginawa ‘yan? Para sa sarili ko? Para sa pamilya ko? Para sa inyo at ang inyong mga anak sa ating bayan,” he added.
He insisted that his controversial anti-drug campaign was aimed at ensuring peace and security.
Duterte acknowledged that the ICC had been pursuing him for a long time, saying he had been facing multiple cases.
“I heard there’s an arrest warrant for me… This ICC has been after me for a long time,” he remarked.
Despite this, he claimed he was prepared to accept whatever fate awaited him. “If I’m arrested, if I’m jailed, so be it,” he said.
In a lighthearted moment, Duterte joked about supporters contributing funds for a monument in his honor if he were imprisoned, saying, “Build me a monument next to [Jose] Rizal.”
