238K Pinoys Pump-Sign Petition Para Ibalik si Duterte Mula sa ICC
A massive wave of support is building for former President Rodrigo Duterte. Senator Robinhood Padilla revealed on Wednesday that a staggering 238,000 people have already signed a petition demanding Duterte's return from The Hague, where he's been detained by the International Criminal Court for the past year.
Padilla himself led the filing of the petition before the Supreme Court, seeking to bring Duterte back to the Philippines so he can face legal proceedings in local courts instead. The senator is confident the numbers will keep growing in the coming weeks as more supporters join the campaign.
Duterte has been held in the Netherlands for one year now, with the ICC recently holding confirmation of charges hearings. But true to form, the former strongman president refused to attend the proceedings — a move that's only fueled his supporters' outrage.
"We do not recognize the ICC. Former president Rodrigo Duterte should not have been brought there," Padilla said firmly. "It hurts us because we have a functioning court here." The senator is arguing that Philippine courts are perfectly capable of handling the case domestically.
The petition centers on questions about the legality of Duterte's arrest and transfer to the ICC, with Padilla calling on the Supreme Court to act swiftly. Whether the high court will intervene remains to be seen, but the growing petition numbers suggest this issue isn't going away anytime soon.
Source: The Manila Times
