ICC clearance sought for Duterte’s oath as Davao mayor

MANILA, Philippines — As former president Rodrigo Duterte remains detained in an International Criminal Court prison in the Netherlands, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will seek clearance from the ICC to allow Duterte to take his oath of office as mayor of Davao City.

According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the DILG will formally request the ICC to allow a Philippine consul to visit Duterte at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague and administer his oath of office as mayor.

“He needs to take his oath to assume office,” Remulla said.

Despite the move, Remulla acknowledged that Duterte’s detention would prevent him from physically performing his duties as mayor.

“One must be physically present. So, in his incapacity to serve, the vice mayor will have to step in,” Remulla said.

This means that Duterte’s son, vice mayor-elect Sebastian, will likely continue to serve as the city’s chief executive.

Rodrigo Duterte won by a landslide in the midterm polls, defeating former Civil Service Commission chairman Karlo Nograles.

“We recognize the victory of former president Rodrigo Duterte. He was declared mayor by the Comelec and proclaimed the day after the elections,” Remulla said, referring to the Commission on Elections.

He noted that the win “was an overwhelming mandate.”

Duterte has been in ICC custody since March in connection with the court’s investigation into alleged crimes against humanity.