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December 5, 2025 | 11:01am
A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025.
AFP / Nicolas Tucat
MANILA, Philippines — Do most self-identified Duterte supporters believe the International Criminal Court is not important in seeking accountability for co-perpetrators of the drug war? A recent survey suggests otherwise, showing no clear majority and revealing divisions even within the former president’s base.
In the latest WR Numero survey, more than half of Filipinos (51%) said the ICC plays an important role in holding accountable those involved in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. Only 26%, or about one-fourth, disagreed.
Among pro-Duterte respondents, the largest share dismissed the ICC’s role and credibility (46.4%), but they still fell short of a majority. Two in five (39%) said they believe the tribunal is important, while another 14.6% — a little over one in ten — remained unsure. Pro-Duterte participants accounted for roughly a third of the 1,412 survey sample.
According to WR Numero President and CEO Cleve Arguelles, the findings underscore that the Duterte faction is "not a monolith."
"They may be overwhelmingly aligned in their opposition to the Marcos administration, but their views on the ICC are more diverse than the political story assumes," he told Philstar.com in a message.
Pro-Duterte respondents tend to show broad agreement on issues such as deprioritizing Sen. Bato dela Rosa’s potential arrest (63%) and opposing Duterte’s continued stay under the ICC's custody (52%).
Their alignment in most issues becomes even clearer when they are asked about their trust in the Marcos administration to investigate anomalous flood control projects and budget irregularities.
Among pro-Duterte respondents, 73% expressed distrust, while the opposite is true for pro-Marcos respondents, 74% of whom said they trust the administration to carry out the probe.
But the views of Duterte supporters splinter when asked about the ICC’s importance in ensuring accountability for drug war abuses.
"Duterte’s coalition has always been broad and quite plural— Mindanao identity voters, anti-elite voters, anxious middle class, and the conservative law and order constituency— and these groups don’t share the same instincts about international accountability," Arguelles said.
"The nearly 40% who say the ICC is important shows that even within Duterte’s own constituency, there is a meaningful segment that distinguishes political loyalty from the question of justice," he added.
As Arguelles puts it, political support for Duterte does not necessarily stop them from believing that drug war abuses should be investigated. They can coexist even for Duterte supporters.
"It’s a reminder that public opinion, even among strong constituencies, is more textured and open than elite factional infighting makes it appear," he added.
The survey found the strongest support for the ICC’s role among respondents who identified with the opposition, some of whom are liberal-leaning, with 68.2% agreeing. This was followed by pro-Marcos respondents at 61.5%, and those who considered themselves independent or unsure of their political leanings at 52%.
WR Numero surveyed 1,412 adult Filipinos across the country from November 21 to 28, with a ±3% national margin of error and 95% confidence level.
Among the survey’s partisan categories, the largest share of respondents (39%) said they had no political affiliation, followed by Duterte supporters at 34%, with 15% identifying as pro-Marcos and 12% as opposition-leaning.
