By Celeste Tamayo

MANILA – Davao First District Representative Paolo Duterte has filed the third petition for habeas corpus, following similar petitions from his siblings, seeking to bring their father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, back to the Philippines.

On Wednesday afternoon, Paolo filed a petition for habeas corpus, certiorari, and prohibition, with a request for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and/or a Writ of Preliminary Injunction.

“The said acts must be annulled, and the Respondents must be ordered to desist from cooperating with the ICC, as these acts are unconstitutional,” the petition states.

The Davao representative argues that his father has been unlawfully arrested, and that the enforcement of the arrest after the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court is “patently unconstitutional.”

Earlier that same day, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and Veronica “Kitty” Duterte each filed separate habeas corpus petitions.

Prior to these filings, former President Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa had submitted a petition for certiorari, with a request for the issuance of a TRO and/or a Writ of Preliminary Prohibitory and Mandatory Injunction.

However, the Supreme Court (SC) denied the immediate issuance of the TRO.

“After a virtual deliberation on the 94-page petition, the SC found that the petitioners failed to establish a clear and unmistakable right for the immediate issuance of a TRO,” the Court stated.

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By Celeste Tamayo

MANILA — Two separate petitions for habeas corpus have been filed before the Supreme Court to bring former President Rodrigo Duterte back to the Philippines after he was flown to The Hague.

In a petition submitted on Wednesday (March 12, 2025), Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte seeks the “immediate and unconditional release” of his father, Rodrigo.

A separate petition was filed by Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, who is represented by Salvador Panelo.

The arrest warrant against Rodrigo was also served on Tuesday. Rodrigo and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa sought the help of the Supreme Court by filing a petition for certiorari and prohibition, seeking his immediate release.

Rodrigo was flown to The Hague on Tuesday night following his arrest earlier in the day by International Police as requested by the International Criminal Court citing a 2018 crimes against humanity case filed against the former president from his bloody War on Drugs that took the lives of close to 30,000 Filipino drug users during his regime.

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