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Ex-Philippine president Duterte turns 81, spends second birthday in prison
Duterte supporters marched to the ICC to demand his return to the Philippines; critics and families of drug war victims said his birthday is not a cause for celebration
- PUBLISHED: Sat 28 Mar 2026, 7:09 PM
The Hague in The Netherlands had become a "battleground" of sorts between supporters and critics of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, and the observance of 81st birthday on Saturday (March 28) is no exception.
Hundreds of Duterte’s supporters held a rally at The Hague in The Netherlands where the former strongman is in jail at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention centre in Scheveningen on the outskirts of the Dutch city.
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It is Duterte’s second birthday in prison after his arrest in Manila in March 2025. He is accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering the killing of tens of thousands of suspected illegal drug dependents while Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
A festive atmosphere is observed at The Hague with flags of European countries where the participants, mostly migrant Filipinos, came from. Supporters marched to the ICC to demand Duterte’s return to his home country. Former Duterte spokesperson Herminio Roque, himself a fugitive in the Philippines, is present.
The festivities was primarily organised by a group called Maisug (brave). A Maisug-UAE Facebook group exists.
No cause for celebration
But while Duterte's supporters are celebrating, the families of war on drugs victims and his critics underscored Duterte's birthday is not a cause for celebration.
The group Du30 Panagutin-Europe (Make Duterte Accountable) said Duterte’s birthday stands as a stark symbol of “bloodshed, terror, and the thousands of lives stolen.
“We reject any attempt to sanitize his legacy. No amount of propaganda, political maneuvering, or historical distortion can erase the truth: Duterte presided over mass murder. His hands are stained with the blood of thousands,” the group, also based in Europe, said.
In a statement, the network said Duterte president over a campaign of state-sanctioned violence deliberately unleashed against the poor.
“It normalised executions in the streets, emboldened killers in uniform, and built a machinery of impunity that persists to this day. These crimes were systematic, widespread, and calculated,” it cited.
In February, Duterte underwent four days of confirmation of charges hearing to determine whether he should undergo full trial by the ICC.
