The arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte upon the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not lead to political instability in the country, House lawmakers have said.
Here's why solons believe Duterte's arrest won't lead to political instability
At a glance
The arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte upon the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not lead to political instability in the country, House lawmakers have said.
Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega and Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre said the country remains on solid footing under President Marcos' administration, as the two brushed off administration critics' claim that the recent development concerning Duterte could stir national unrest.

Ortega, representative of La Union's 1st district, particularly cited former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who he said had been trying to undermine the Marcos administration "for almost two years".
"Naalala natin...‘yung video na ito ang kasamaan laban sa kadiliman (We remember the video of Roque about 'Kasamaan vs Kadiliman')," he said.
Despite this, the congressman said, the country's economy continues to improve.
He said the Duterte camp and its supporters will continue to make noise through protests, but this will not translate into real instability.
Acidre of Tingog Party-list agreed with Ortega.
“The noisy one will always be noisy eh. That’s one thing for sure. Pero kung kakagatin ng tao, ako alam mo, I doubt (But I doubt that people would buy it),” Acidre said.
He pointed to the Marcos administration’s strong economic policies, law enforcement professionalism, and commitment to justice as key stabilizing factors.
“We’ve seen kung paano ang ekonomiya natin. Katulad ng sinabi ni Cong. Paolo, maganda ang fundamentals natin. Pangalawa, naipakita natin hindi lang sa ating bansa, kung hindi sa buong mundo na (We've seen how economy performs now. Like what Rep. Ortega said, our fundamentals are good. Also, we showed the world that) the rule of law is applied equally to everyone in this country,” he said.
Acidre added that Duterte’s arrest was not an indictment of the country’s entire justice system but rather proof that international mechanisms can work when local ones fail.