One reason may be that many Filipinos feel there is no other way to fight drugs beyond brute force. Another may be that Duterte’s campaign has had an immediate effect. Police say crime has fallen in some areas by nearly half, and neighborhoods once overrun with drug dealers are safer than they’ve been in years.

I said this already, that I will protect you, and I will be responsible for everything," Duterte said. His remarks were his first since being put on a plane to The Hague. Duterte was taken into custody by the ICC on Wednesday following his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to his "war on drugs" in which thousands of purported dealers and users were killed.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands following his dramatic arrest in Manila the day before over a brutal, years-long anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of his citizens dead.

A plane carrying former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has arrived in the Netherlands where he is to face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his deadly "war on drugs".

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is being flown to the Netherlands to face an International Criminal Court charge of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly crackdown on drugs he overs

Rodrigo Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, will face allegations of crimes against humanity for overseeing death squads in his war on drugs.