Philippine authorities arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte and transferred him into the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 11. Leading up to his arrest, the ICC had been investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed during the former president’s “War on Drugs” across the Philippines.
Duterte’s arrest comes at a tense time in Philippine politics, with the two most powerful families, the Duterte family and Marcos family, engaged in an ongoing political feud. The two families control the highest offices in the Philippines, with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as the current president and Sara Duterte, Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, as the vice president.
With Rodrigo Duterte being surrendered to ICC custody, tensions between the two families and their supporters are on the rise. As Duterte goes to trial in the following months, a politically divided Philippines could see civil unrest from Duterte’s supporters.
Political Dynasties
Political dynasties have been a long tradition in the Philippines, with many families on retainer throughout all levels of government. Among the many families, the Marcoses and the Dutertes have fought to become the nation’s two most powerful and influential dynasties.
Marcos
The Marcos family has been a staple of Philippine politics for almost six decades. The dynasty began with Ferdinand Marcos Sr., former dictator and father of current president Marcos Jr. His reign over the Philippines lasted over two decades from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s until he was ousted during the People Power Revolution.
The Marcoses fled the Philippines and lived in exile in Hawaii until the death of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. With Marcos Jr. now in power, the Marcos dynasty has returned and solidified its position in Philippine politics in the 21st century.
Duterte
The Duterte dynasty began in 1986. After the People Power Revolution, Rodrigo Duterte began his political career when he was appointed vice mayor of Davao City by then-President Corazon Aquino. He won election as mayor of Davao City in 1988 and continued to serve as mayor, winning two elections, until reaching his term limit in 1998.
During his time as mayor, Duterte maintained a tough-on-crime stance in the region with his famous After hitting his term limit, Duterte ran for a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives, and his daughter, Sara Duterte, was elected to his former position as Davao City’s mayor.
Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines in 2016, marking the beginning of the controversial era that the ICC arrest and trial attempts to bring to light.
Coming Together
In the 2022 election, the two dynasties marked a historic change in Philippine politics when the two families ran together on the same ticket—Marcos Jr. as president and Sara Duterte as his vice president.
The united families promised a powerful administration and brought hope to many Filipinos that the economy and political corruption in the Philippines would change for the better. Marcos and Duterte won the election with over 50% of the nation’s votes.
The Feud
While the Marcos-Duterte team secured their positions in a landslide victory, entering office in 2022, friction between the families quickly followed. In the years following their entry into office, their relationship deteriorated, as differing political agendas and public criticisms—often voiced by their respective family members to the media—drove them further apart.
Rodrigo Duterte’s political party, PDP-Laban, endorsed Marcos Jr. during his campaign. Despite the endorsement, Duterte was among the first to strike at his incumbent. At multiple press events attended by both presidents, Duterte criticized and name-called President Marcos Jr.
Fallout between the two families continued as members came to defend their own sides, with the First Lady speaking out against Rodrigo Duterte’s comments, and Sara Duterte coming to her father’s defense.
The tipping point in the two families’ relationship came during a social media post in which Sara Duterte mentioned she had ordered a hitman to kill the president, followed by a financial scandal within the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, where Sara also serves as Education Secretary.
An investigation led by the House of Representatives targeted Sara Duterte and her offices over the misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.5M). By the end of the investigation, Duterte had resigned from her position as Education Secretary.
The House officially impeached Duterte from the vice presidency on charges of corruption, misuse of public funds and her alleged plan to assassinate the president.
Now
With the two dynasties already in heated political battles, the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte has further escalated tensions.
Soon after Duterte’s arrest, thousands of his supporters gathered in protest. President Marcos’ political opponents have rallied and voiced their disapproval of his administration, accusing the president of using the ICC as a tool to eliminate his political opposition and weaken the Duterte dynasty.
The approval for Duterte’s arrest comes at a convenient time for the president, with the midterm election coming this May. Targeting the head of the Duterte family after Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment and the investigation into her office’s misuse of public funds could have been a decisive victory for Marcos.
However, staunch Duterte allies are seeking re-election in the upcoming midterm and the movement from Duterte’s supporters could spell trouble for President Marcos’ approval rating if civil unrest continues. Although a majority of the Philippines stand behind the president, that could change in the coming months as the power grab between the two dynasties distracts him from addressing the pressing issues facing the nation, like increased Chinese activity in the disputed South China Sea, political corruption and mass poverty.
[Image credit: KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Tyler J. Brigham is an ASU graduate and legal editor at the Arizona State Legislature with a passion for human rights advocacy and geopolitics. Working at the legislature, he has developed a meticulous eye for academic writing and remains devoted to a future career in the human rights field.
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