The Philippines didn't need to seek help from the International Criminal Court if only law enforcers had done their job and investigate thousands of extrajudicial killings during the war on drugs, a political science professor said Friday. 

“Ang magandang lesson na dapat nating makita dito is totoo naman talaga, hindi na dapat sana tayo umabot sa ICC kung malakas lang talaga ang institution natin. Kaya lang naman tayo humingi ng tulong sa ICC dahil yun nga, ‘yung mga aakusahan natin, ‘yun mga sasailalim sa imbestigasyon ay ‘yun ding mag-iimbestiga - mga kapulisan, ‘yung dating Pangulo, ‘yung iba diyan nakaupo sa Senado.’”

“‘Yun ‘yung irony, ‘yun ‘yung masakit na pagdadaanan natin bilang bansa, na humingi tayo ng tulong sa ICC dahil merong mga patayan na mga nangyari noong nakaraang taon. ‘Yung mga iimbestigahan natin, sa kasamaang palad, nandun sa mga institusyon na inaasahan nating gagalaw,” Assistant Prof. Arjan Aguirre of the Ateneo Department of Political Science said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview. 

Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Tuesday after returning home from a trip from Hong Kong in the face of rumors that an ICC warrant had been issued.

Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug war killings

He is set to face the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber at The Hague on Friday, March 14.

Aguirre backed the creation of a Truth Commission to investigate the thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, noting that families of EJK victims "cannot move on."

In the interview, Aguirre said Duterte's arrest could have backfired on his accusers if people perceive there was overkill on the part of law enforcement during the arrest. He said police were very careful in respecting Duterte’s rights during the arrest, knowing that one false move could lead to chaos.

“Kapag nagmumukhang kawawa or kinakawawa ‘yung figures, ‘yung simpatiya ng tao nandodoon. Based po sa history ng Filipinos, maraming figures ang nagbenefit dito,” he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

He added: “What we can say is government knows what it is doing, his human rights were respected.”