Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and taken into custody in Manila on Tuesday under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant pertaining to his tenure's controversial 'war on drugs', which resulted in the deaths of thousands of individuals across the country.

Duterte, who previously served as mayor of Davao City and garnered a reputation for his aggressive law enforcement tactics, campaigned for the presidency in 2016 with a promise to eradicate drug-related crime, declaring his intentions in explicit terms.

Throughout his campaign, he expressed a willingness to suspend human rights, stating, "Forget the laws on human rights.

If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor.

You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out.

Because I'd kill you."

Once in office, Duterte enforced similar brutal police actions nationwide.

By the end of 2016, shortly after his inauguration, police killed over 2,000 individuals labeled as drug suspects, with most deaths characterized as resulting from supposed shootouts.

Public opinion remained largely supportive of Duterte during this period, with a December 2016 survey indicating that 77% of Filipinos were satisfied with his performance despite the rising death toll.

The escalation of the anti-drug campaign saw the official death toll rise significantly.

By the time Duterte concluded his presidency in June 2022, government statistics reported at least 6,248 deaths linked to operations against drug-related crime, though activists contend the actual number may be considerably higher, with estimates suggesting figures could reach 30,000.

Investigations into the drug war revealed alarming discrepancies between official accounts and evidence gathered by journalists and human rights advocates.

Notably, a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of reports highlighted inconsistencies, including security footage that contradicted official narratives of police killings.

Under intense international scrutiny, the ICC initially opened a preliminary investigation in February 2018, shortly before Duterte announced the Philippines' withdrawal from the court in March 2019. However, despite the withdrawal, the ICC maintained jurisdiction over crimes committed while the Philippines was a member state.

The ICC investigation faced delays but was reactivated in 2023 due to concerns regarding the Philippine government's efforts to address alleged abuses within its judicial system.

The current administration under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, which initially signaled reluctance to cooperate with the ICC, later expressed a willingness to comply with the court's proceedings.

The ICC's arrest warrant, issued on March 7, 2023, charges Duterte with murder as a crime against humanity and identifies him as a central figure in the operations that led to systematic and widespread killings of alleged criminal elements during his presidency.

The warrant delineates that these actions were not isolated incidents but part of a larger campaign targeting members of the civilian population, specifically individuals accused of involvement in drug trafficking.

The warrant outlines evidence suggesting Duterte's potential criminal responsibility for the killings of numerous alleged drug dealers by the so-called Davao Death Squad during his mayoral tenure, as well as additional killings conducted by law enforcement during his presidency.

This legal pursuit sheds light on the continued international ramifications of the anti-drug campaign that marked Duterte's controversial administration.