Former Senator Manny Villar expresses support for Rodrigo Duterte.
Former PH president Rodrigo Duterte is now in The Hague after arrest, and his good friend Manny Villar hopes for a fair trial for him.
On March 12, 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed that former PH president Rodrigo Duterte had surrendered to their custody. The ICC released the arrest warrant, and this was served by the PH authorities.
Duterte arrived at The Hague on Wednesday night, and shortly after, he was put under the ICC’s custody. He is now in detention for charges of murder as a crime against humanity related to the EJK during his leadership’s drug war.
His good friend, former senator Manny Villar, reacted to his arrest and expressed his sadness over Duterte’s prosecution. He was sad that he had to face the trial under an international tribunal instead of being given the chance to defend himself in the country.
“It was my hope that former President Rodrigo Duterte would have the opportunity to defend himself in our courts under the protection of our country’s rule of law,” Villar said.
He had defended Filipinos overseas, hence his sadness at seeing a good friend of his in a similar situation. Despite this, he is confident that his friend will exhaust all legal avenues to defend and protect himself before the international tribunal.
He hopes that he will be given a fair trial.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!