Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is winning the midterm elections for mayor of his hometown of Davao by a wide margin, The New York Times reported, citing a vote count of about 80%.
Sara Duterte, the politician’s daughter, said once the family receives the election victory papers, she will discuss with an ICC lawyer how Rodrigo Duterte can be sworn in as mayor.
Rodrigo Duterte’s son Sebastian is now the mayor of Davao City. He is winning the election for vice mayor. Duterte’s other son Paolo won re-election to Congress in the midterm elections.
Philippine electoral law allows a candidate to run for public office as long as he or she has not been given a ‘final conviction’ by a local court.
In March 2025, Philippine police detained Duterte at Manila airport on an International Criminal Court warrant. The ICC is investigating Duterte for crimes against humanity committed during his ‘war on drugs’. The investigation concerns the period from November 2011 to March 2019. According to human rights activists, more than 12,000 people were killed during counter-narcotics operations during Duterte’s presidency between 2016 and 2022.
