Filipinos angry over ex-PRRD arrest? How many, Castro asks VP Sara
Malacañang questioned Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that Filipinos remain angry over the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said it cannot be assumed that all Filipinos share the same sentiment regarding Duterte’s arrest.
The former president was arrested on March 11, 2025, and remains under detention.
“Sana tinanong ninyo siya, ‘Gaano karaming tao ang galit’ (You should ask her: How many people are angry)?” Castro said Thursday, March 12.
The Vice President earlier said that Filipinos remain angry over her father’s arrest and that such anger would persist until the former president is brought back to the Philippines.
Castro said the government’s action in surrendering Duterte to the ICC was meant to allow the legal process to proceed and to give justice to all parties involved.
“Dahil itong pagpapadala kay dating pangulong Duterte sa The Hague ay ito ang unang hudyat para mabigyan ng hustisya hindi lamang po ang mga biktima ng EJK, pati na rin po ang dating Pangulong Duterte (Sending the former president to The Hague is the first step toward justice not only for the victims of extrajudicial killings but also for the former President himself),” she said.
The Palace official acknowledged that supporters of the former president may feel anger because Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the international tribunal.
However, Castro said many Filipinos—particularly those advocating human rights and justice for victims of alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the war on drugs—do not share the same reaction.
“Sa parte po ng mga tao na nagsusulong ng human rights at lumalaban sa mga karumal-dumal na pagpatay na bunga ng EJK at war on drugs ni dating Pangulong Duterte, hindi naman sila galit at sila ay nagpupunyagi (For those pushing for human rights and fighting the heinous killings from the extrajudicial killings and war on drugs, they are not angry and continue their advocacy),” she said.
Castro added that the government’s actions were not intended to protect anyone but to allow justice to take its course, noting that Filipino complainants themselves filed the case before the ICC after saying they failed to obtain justice during Duterte’s administration.