The court is identifying what it views as the chain of authority
Decades of impunity rarely end with a single arrest — they unravel. The International Criminal Court has taken former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague to answer for crimes against humanity tied to a drug war that left thousands dead across poor urban communities between 2016 and 2022. The court's investigative documents now point toward two additional architects of that campaign — Senator Ronald Dela Rosa and retired police chief Oscar Albayalde — suggesting that international accountability, once set in motion, follows the chain of command wherever it leads.
- Duterte, once untouchable at home, was physically transported to The Hague on Tuesday — a moment that redraws the boundaries of what international justice can reach.
- ICC documents name Dela Rosa and Albayalde as co-responsible parties, placing both men under the shadow of imminent arrest warrants as the court widens its net.
- Thousands of Filipinos — many of them poor, many of them bystanders — were killed during operations that human rights organizations say were neither lawful nor restrained.
- Duterte's supporters insist the ICC has no jurisdiction over Philippine citizens, while victims' families and rights advocates call the arrest long overdue.
- The court has no enforcement arm of its own, leaving the fate of Dela Rosa and Albayalde dependent on the cooperation of member states and the posture of the Philippine government.
- The drug war that once defined a presidency is now being reconstructed as evidence in a courtroom in The Hague, with more defendants potentially to follow.
The International Criminal Court has arrested former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and transported him to The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity — a reckoning tied to the deadly anti-drug campaign that defined his presidency from 2016 to 2022. But according to ICC counsel assistant Kristina Conti, Duterte may not stand alone. Court documents identify Senator Ronald Dela Rosa and retired Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde as bearing responsibility for the campaign, and both men are now expected to face arrest warrants of their own.
The drug war's death toll remains disputed — official figures diverge sharply from human rights estimates — but the scale of the violence was never in question. Police operations, concentrated in poor urban neighborhoods, produced a cascade of killings condemned by the United Nations, Amnesty International, and others. Dela Rosa, who led the PNP during the campaign's most lethal phase, and Albayalde, who succeeded him, have both maintained that officers acted lawfully and in self-defense.
The ICC's decision to name all three men reflects its view that the drug war was not spontaneous violence but a coordinated policy flowing through a command hierarchy. By tracing that chain of authority, the court is signaling that accountability does not stop at the presidency.
Duterte's arrest has already fractured Philippine public opinion. His allies argue the court is overreaching; victims' families see it as justice long denied. Whether Dela Rosa and Albayalde will be apprehended — and whether any nation will enforce warrants against them — remains unresolved. The ICC depends entirely on member states to act. For now, the trial begins in The Hague, and the question of who else shaped the drug war, and who else may answer for it, remains open.
The International Criminal Court has moved to arrest former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity, transporting him to The Hague on Tuesday to face trial for his role in the nation's brutal war on drugs. The development marks a significant escalation in international accountability efforts, but it may only be the beginning. According to Kristina Conti, an assistant to counsel at the ICC, two other figures have been identified in the court's investigative documents as bearing responsibility for the campaign: Senator Ronald Dela Rosa and retired Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde. Both men are now expected to face similar arrest warrants as the court's examination of the drug war deepens.
Duterte's arrest represents the culmination of years of scrutiny from international human rights bodies. The former president's tenure, which lasted from 2016 to 2022, was defined by an aggressive anti-drug campaign that claimed thousands of lives. The exact death toll remains contested—official figures are far lower than estimates from human rights organizations—but the scale of the violence was undeniable. Police operations, often conducted in poor urban neighborhoods, resulted in a cascade of killings that drew condemnation from the United Nations, Amnesty International, and other monitoring organizations.
Dela Rosa, who served as the Philippine National Police chief during the initial and most intense phase of the drug war, was instrumental in directing police operations. His tenure coincided with the period when killings were most frequent and least restrained. Albayalde, who succeeded Dela Rosa as police chief, continued overseeing drug enforcement operations during the latter years of the campaign. Both men have maintained that police actions were lawful responses to drug trafficking, and that deaths resulted from legitimate self-defense or armed resistance during operations.
The ICC's focus on these three figures reflects the court's assessment that responsibility for the drug war extended beyond the presidency itself. The campaign was not a spontaneous eruption of violence but rather a coordinated policy implemented through police structures and command hierarchies. By naming Duterte, Dela Rosa, and Albayalde, the court is identifying what it views as the chain of authority responsible for directing, enabling, or failing to prevent the killings.
The arrest of Duterte has already sent ripples through Philippine politics and society. His supporters argue that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Philippine citizens and that the court is overstepping its mandate. Others see the development as long-overdue accountability for a campaign that left families grieving and communities traumatized. The question of whether Dela Rosa and Albayalde will be arrested—and whether they will be extradited if apprehended abroad—remains open. Both men remain in the Philippines, where they retain political connections and where public opinion on the drug war remains divided.
What happens next depends partly on the willingness of other nations to enforce ICC arrest warrants and partly on whether the Philippine government itself takes any action. The court has no police force of its own and relies on member states to apprehend suspects. For now, Duterte faces trial in The Hague, and the spotlight has turned toward the two men the ICC has identified as his partners in the campaign. The drug war that defined a presidency is now being examined in a courtroom thousands of miles away, with the possibility that more of those who shaped it may soon follow.
Notable Quotes
Three names were mentioned in the ICC documents from the start as responsible: Duterte, Bato Dela Rosa, and Oscar Albayalde— Kristina Conti, assistant to counsel at the ICC
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did it take this long for the ICC to move on Duterte? The drug war ended years ago.
The ICC's investigations are slow by design. They require gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, building a case that can withstand legal scrutiny. International courts move at a different pace than domestic ones.
And now they're looking at Dela Rosa and Albayalde. What makes them different from other officials who might have been involved?
The court sees them as central to the chain of command. Dela Rosa ran the police during the worst period. Albayalde came after. They're not peripheral figures—they're the ones who directed the operations.
Do they have a defense? Can they argue they were just following orders, or that the killings were justified?
They've already made those arguments publicly. They say police were acting lawfully, that deaths came from self-defense. Whether that holds up in The Hague is a different question. The ICC will examine whether there was a systematic pattern, whether orders came from above, whether precautions were taken to avoid civilian deaths.
What about the Philippines itself? Will the government cooperate with the ICC?
That's the real uncertainty. The Philippines is an ICC member, which is why Duterte could be arrested. But politically, there's resistance. His supporters see this as foreign interference. Whether the government will help arrest Dela Rosa or Albayalde depends on who's in power and what the political winds are.
So they could just stay in the Philippines and never face trial?
It's possible. The ICC has no enforcement mechanism. It depends on countries to arrest suspects. If the Philippines doesn't cooperate, and if they don't travel to countries that would extradite them, they could avoid The Hague indefinitely.