Over 100 participants attended the recent HR Career Clinic – mostly Filipino community leaders, as well as officers and members of the Filipino Human Resources Practitioners’ Association , HR practitioners and guests – held at the Canadian University Dubai on May 25. The full day event had some renowned and accomplished speakers from different fields to share valuable insights, among them, Dr. Neda June Salazar, Dr. Rex Bacarra and Dave Crane.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile believes that former President Rodrigo Duterte was likely already on the International Criminal Court’s radar even before he assumed the presidency.
In a Facebook post, Enrile shared his skepticism over Duterte’s return to the Philippines, citing a 2024 book published in the United States.
He quoted a passage that grouped Duterte with other controversial world leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jair Bolsonaro, and Benjamin Netanyahu—leaders described as having used democratic processes to rise to power, only to undermine them later. The quote also referenced Erdogan’s famous line: “Democracy is like a train. You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”
“I think FPRRD must have already been an ICC targeted suspect long before he became a president of the country,” Enrile said.
He also questioned why Duterte’s legal team did not anticipate this scenario and prepare accordingly, noting that the former leader’s loyal supporters are now scrambling to find ways to defend him amid his legal troubles.
Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute in 2018, a move that took effect in March 2019. Despite the withdrawal, the ICC has maintained jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed during the period when the Philippines was still a party to the treaty.
Following his arrest, Duterte was flown to The Hague, where he was detained at the Scheveningen Prison on March 13 (Philippine time). He appeared before the court via video link the next day as charges related to the killings during his administration’s war on drugs were formally presented.
The confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2025.
