While former president Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters are celebrating his 81st birthday, families of his war on drugs victims and critics said his birthday is no cause of celebration.
Du30 Panagutin-Europe (Make Duterte Accountable) said Duterte’s natal day 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 said.
In a statement, the network said Duterte president over a campaign of state-sanctioned violence deliberately unleashed against the poor.
“It normalized 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.
Supporters’ party
In Manila, Duterte’s supporters are gathered at Plaza Sulayman to commemorate the former strongman’s birthday.
At The Hague in The Netherlands, hundreds of his devotees are having a party near the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention centre in Scheveningen where he had been in prison since March 13, 2025.
Former Duterte spokesperson Herminio Roque, himself a fugitive in the Philippines, is present at the festivities at The Hague.
In Davao City, Duterte’s family launched a website on the former president — rodrigoroaduterte.com — coinciding with his birthday.
“This website is dedicated to the supporters whose belief, encouragement, and unwavering loyalty have carried our family through the years,” Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and Davao City mayor Sebastian Duterte said.
Last February, Duterte underwent four days of confirmation of charges hearing to determine whether he should undergo full trial by the ICC.
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. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
