Photo credit: Bong Go

Former President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an update on his current situation upon his arrival at The Hague, addressing the nation with a message of reassurance and defiance.

In a video statement, Duterte shared that he was coming from Dubai with a stopover before landing in The Hague. "To my countrymen, just to give you the current situation, I am about to land in The Hague. Galing ako Dubai, stopover... It's a long haul, it's a long flight. OK ako. Do not worry," he said, maintaining his usual composed demeanor.

He acknowledged the legal battle ahead, seemingly linking it to his administration’s aggressive approach to law and order. "And I think this has something to do with the law and order nuon, at sinasabi ko naman sa mga pulis, military na trabaho kayo at ako ang managot. So ito na nga," Duterte stated.

Standing by his past actions, the former president reiterated that he takes full responsibility for his administration’s policies. "For all of the whatever happened in the past, ako na 'yung nag-front sa ating law enforcement, pati military. Sinabi ko na, I will protect you and I will, ako ang managot sa lahat."

Despite the looming legal proceedings, Duterte remained firm in his stance. "This will be a long legal proceeding but I say to you I will continue to serve my country at so be it, kung ganoon ang destiny ko. Salamat."

His statement leaves many questions unanswered, but one thing is clear—Duterte is facing this head-on, just as he promised during his presidency.