THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Filipinos based in the Netherlands and beyond gathered in The Hague on Saturday, March 28, to celebrate former president Rodrigo Duterte’s 81st birthday – his second since being detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged crimes against humanity.

Among the crowd that gathered at “Duterte Street,” the informal name of the supporters’ gathering area outside his detention center in Scheveningen, were Filipinos who have been abroad for decades. While they were not around when Duterte was president from 2016 to 2022, they maintained a firm belief in his leadership, which drove them to attend the volunteer-led celebration.

Duterte’s lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman earlier said in an interview with pro-Duterte vlogger Alvin Sarzate that he wanted to see the detention area “flooded” with flowers on the former president’s birthday, similar to how the community celebrated his 80th.

Kaufman’s description of Duterte’s 80th birthday, and how his office was overwhelmed with flowers and cards for him, was part of his closing statement in Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing on February 27.

The ICC’s pre-trial chamber is expected to release its decision on whether to proceed to trial by April.

Volunteer-led

The former president’s supporters regularly gather at “Duterte Street” with or without developments in the case, but volunteers spent weeks preparing for the celebration on Saturday.

Facebook page PRRD Volunteer in The Hague facilitated contributions for flowers that decorated the event. After earlier disclosing in a donation guide that the rate was €1 (around P70) per flower, the page announced that the donations funded over 20,000 flowers. Rappler was unable to independently verify this at the site.

Jocelyn Buiteman, now a Dutch citizen, volunteered to work as a first aid responder at the event. She works as a nurse in The Hague.

Buiteman said that while the program was meant to begin at noon, there were already many people gathering at their call time of 9 am.. She said she was happy to see the attendees help in setting up.

“The kababayans (fellow countrymen), they are from France, from Germany, from all over Europe who are coming here as visitors. I feel like I am one of the hosts, so that’s why I volunteer,” she said.

Reasons for support

Buiteman has been in the Netherlands for 25 years, now settled with her Dutch husband. However, she said, “during [Duterte’s] presidency… it’s the first time that we [felt] safe in Camotes and in Labangon in Cebu.”

Lynlyn Rossier, a Filipino Swiss citizen, traveled from Thun to The Hague to support the president and be with the community.

“When he was president, I saw very big changes in the country. And I was really very amazed at what he has done,” said Rossier, 62, who speaks multiple languages but can no longer speak fluently in her native languages Tagalog and Bisaya. She left her hometown Cagayan de Oro at 20 years old.

Enrico Teruel traveled by bus with fellow supporters from Paris. Hailing from San Mateo, Rizal, he has lived in Paris for 18 years.

Asked why he came to support Duterte, Teruel said he admires Duterte’s toughness as a leader, and how he “does not compromise.” While not in the Philippines during his presidency, he said he learned about his accomplishments through the news.

“Sinasabi niya ‘yung nasa isip niya, hindi siya ano sa mga oligarchs, tough sa mga desisyon. Sa foreign policy, mukhang okay naman, dahil ‘yung ‘friends to all, enemy to none,‘” said Teruel.

(He says what’s on his mind, doesn’t patronize oligarchs, and is tough in his decisions. His foreign policy was okay too, because his policy was “friends to all, enemy to none.”)

‘Not a celebration’

In a statement on Saturday, the Duterte Panagutin Network Europe said that there is “nothing to celebrate” about Duterte’s 81st birthday.

“His birthday stands as a stark symbol of bloodshed, terror, and the thousands of lives stolen under his murderous ‘war on drugs.’ While he lives in comfort, thousands of families continue to mourn their dead and demand justice long denied,” the network said.

The network said that Duterte’s drug war was “a campaign of state-sanctioned violence deliberately unleashed against the poor,” normalizing executions in the streets and emboldening uniformed killers.

“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.”

Philippine government data shows around 6,200 people were killed in police operations in Duterte’s illegal drug campaign, but human rights groups estimate the number could be up to 30,000, including killings carried out by vigilantes.

Pre-trial chamber decision ahead

Rossier, like most of the Filipinos at the celebration, said her birthday wish for Duterte was good health and his safe return to the Philippines.

But Duterte still faces his case at the ICC. The former president, who waived his right to attend his confirmation of charges hearing for three counts of widespread murder relating to his deadly drug war, awaits the pre-trial chamber’s next move. The hearing was part of the process for the chamber to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Teruel said that he felt more strongly against the Marcos administration than the ICC, since it was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who allowed Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague.

“Kung talagang hindi na siya makakalabas diyan, well, dito pa rin kami sa labas. May mga supporter na nag-aantay sa kanya if makakalabas pa siya,” he said.

(If he really cannot leave, well, we will still be here outside. There will be supporters waiting for him if he could someday get out of detention.)

The Duterte Panagutin Network said that it was hopeful that the ICC pre-trial chamber will decide to proceed to trial.

“We stand firmly with the families of the victims, whose grief has turned into resistance, and whose courage fuels the growing demand to hold Duterte and all those complicit to account,” they said. – Rappler.com