Compassion should not be limited to allies – Cayetano on house arrest resolution for Duterte

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July 13, 2025

4–5 minutes

Compassion defines who we are as Filipinos and it must remain at the core of how we pursue justice — even for those we disagree with.

This is the guiding principle behind Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s resolution urging the Philippine government to engage with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek house arrest rather than full detention for former President Rodrigo Duterte as he awaits trial.

“In other words, Malacañang will talk to the ICC hoping to give an interim release to former President Duterte while he’s awaiting trial,” the senator told media personality Boy Abunda in a video posted on July 13, 2025.

The senator clarified that this is not a call for release but for a humane form of custody that respects both the rule of law and Duterte’s rights under the Constitution and international human rights norms.

Under Cayetano’s resolution, house arrest could be implemented with strict limitations – possibly within the Philippine Embassy in The Hague – ensuring legal safeguards while honoring dignity.

He emphasized that compassion should not be conditional or limited to allies.

“One thing I deeply believe in is that Filipinos are deeply compassionate people. And when you say love and compassionate, the Bible repeatedly says, ‘If you’re only kind, loving, and compassionate to your loved ones, then what’s your difference to evil people?’” the senator explained.

“Meaning, dapat compassionate ka kahit hindi ka nag-a-agree sa tao, kahit sa enemy mo,” he added.

The senator cited precedents where detainees were held in humane conditions both internationally and locally.

“His (Duterte’s) lawyer filed for interim release, which is allowed under the ICC rules as it has happened before. That was a rebel from Congo who was accused of crimes against humanity…We’ve also done this in the Philippines — former Senator Leila de Lima was held in a special facility, and Senator Trillanes was detained in Camp Aguinaldo,” he said.

Cayetano stressed that justice must be principled, not cruel.

“If we do everything ‘an eye for an eye,’ then the whole world goes blind, right? It’s a vicious cycle, so it has to stop somewhere. And that’s where human rights activism and all of these conventions, international, come into play,” the senator said.

As emotions run high, the senator called for calm and consistency.

“He’s still a former president, Kuya Boy. God forbid something happens to former President Duterte. If something happens inside, and our attitude as a nation is like that and the ICC’s decision is like that, we can’t do anything,” Cayetano told Abunda.

“But if we say he’s guilty, ‘you’re going to rot there’ – that’s from very angry people. It’s not just about accountability, but doing it with dignity,” he added.

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