DESPITE his arrest and extradition to The Hague over alleged human rights abuses, former president Rodrigo Duterte continues to enjoy strong grassroots support, according to a political analyst.

Dr. Cleo Anne Calimbahin, a professor of political science specializing in elections, corruption, and democracy studies, said Duterte’s enduring popularity on the ground reflects a significant gap in public demand for accountability in the Philippines.

“Grassroots support for Duterte remains high,” Calimbahin said in a recent forum.

“We saw it materialize outside the ICC headquarters where Filipino supporters of Duterte were quick to mobilize, carrying Philippine flags and saying, ‘We stand with FPRRD,’” she added.

Calimbahin explained that the support has been further amplified by online narratives led by Duterte’s youngest daughter, Veronica, who has helped frame her father not as a former head of state facing prosecution, but as a persecuted and aging figure.

“An idealization and victimization that resonates with Filipinos, perhaps more so than any international accountability mechanism and procedure,” she said.

She noted that instead of galvanizing public outrage over extrajudicial killings allegedly committed during Duterte’s administration, his arrest drew sympathy, particularly from those who see him as a nationalist and paternal figure.

“It was not a cry for justice for the EJK-MNC,” Calimbahin said. “It was in support. The narrative is of her father—it is not of the president.”

Calimbahin said this response illustrates the limited traction international justice has within domestic political culture, especially when weighed against powerful emotional appeals and sustained family-driven political branding.

The political scientist also traced the roots of the arrest to the collapse of the Marcos-Duterte alliance, formed during the 2022 national elections.

She suggested that the Duterte camp’s legal troubles may have been politically timed by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“That alliance... resulted in a landslide victory, but then we saw immediately cracks in the relationship,” she said. “The political strategy backfired. Perhaps they did not anticipate the kind of blowback from the electoral outcomes we just saw in the recent winter elections for both national and local seats.”

Still, Calimbahin cautioned that it remains to be seen whether the proceedings against Duterte will lead to broader institutional reforms or accountability measures on the ground.

“For now, given the results of the elections, we know that the Duterte family is a dynasty undiminished,” she said.

“There are no clear loyalties after all once these senators are elected and re-elected,” she added.(TGP)

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• #Grassroots Support
• #Rodrigo Duterte
• #The Hague
• #Human Rights Abuses
• #Dr. Cleo Anne Calimbahin
• #Political Science
• #ICC