Three additional allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the Senate have filed a resolution urging his house arrest, citing deteriorating health conditions and the challenges of his detention in the Netherlands.
Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Robin Padilla expressed concern over Duterte’s well-being in a resolution filed this week. According to the senators, family members who recently visited the former president reported that he has “drastically lost weight due to appetite loss and the cold weather” during his three-month confinement at the International Criminal Court’s detention unit in The Hague.
The resolution highlights Duterte’s old age—he turned 80 in March—and ongoing medical conditions, which, they argue, make continued detention in a foreign country “inhumane.” They appealed for Duterte to be allowed to await trial in the Philippines under house arrest, surrounded by loved ones and with access to his physicians.
“If approved, this resolution would formally urge the Philippine government to petition the ICC for a more compassionate arrangement, citing humanitarian grounds,” the document stated.
Earlier this month, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano also filed a similar resolution, emphasizing that isolation and advanced age pose serious risks to Duterte’s health. “This is not about escaping accountability. It is about ensuring humane treatment, which is a right under international law,” Cayetano said in his speech supporting the measure.
However, not everyone agrees with the proposal. Kristina Conti, legal counsel for several families of drug war victims, dismissed the Senate resolutions as “political theater.”
“Where’s the evidence? None of the senators filing these resolutions has direct access to Duterte. These are secondhand claims with no medical proof presented,” Conti said in an interview.
She added that the ICC is unlikely to be swayed by such appeals without verifiable data. “Without certified medical records or formal communication from Duterte’s legal team, these resolutions may be seen as mere political posturing,” she argued.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 and swiftly transferred to the ICC’s facility in The Hague. He faces charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the thousands of killings linked to his administration’s controversial war on drugs.
As of now, the ICC has not responded to the latest appeals for Duterte’s house arrest.