Supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte brought food including cakes for picnics outside the ICC detention facility on March 28, 2025 — the politician's 80th birthday. Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN News

Busloads of Filipino migrant workers from different parts of Europe are making their way to The Hague in The Netherlands to wish former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte a happy 80th birthday, but also to demand for his immediate release and repatriation to the Philippines. 

Duterte was arrested on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and flown to The Hague on March 11. Since then, supporters have been gathering outside the detention center to call for his release.  

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity for his role in orchestrating a drug war in the Philippines while he was president from 2016 to 2022. Human Rights Watch, an NGO, estimates more than 12,000 people were killed in the bloody crackdown that involved vigilante killings and police squads targeting mostly poor young men.

Despite this, Duterte remains popular with many Filipinos.

Pong Pena, a migrant worker in London, is set to depart for The Hague tomorrow. Others who are part of the organized trip are already in The Hague.

"It is very important that we show our support, wish the former president a happy birthday. We want him to be sent back to the Philippines," Pena told DW.

Jaime Adriano, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) living in Berlin, told DW that he and other Filipinos in the German capital are planning a series of Duterte birthday party celebrations across different restaurants.

He and others were not happy about Duterte's arrest.

"It was not right. We surrendered one of our own to foreign powers. It was so painful," Adriano told DW.

A business owner who has been living in Germany for the last 18 years, Adriano has said he will participate in a "zero remittance" movement, by not sending money back to the Philippines to draw attention to their pleas for Duterte's release.

"That is our way of making our voices as migrant workers heard. As long as Duterte is in The Hague, we will protest, we will visit him from time to time. We will show our support until he is released," said Adriano.  

Economists: 'Zero remittance' protest may affect OFW families

A symbolic protest

With more than an estimated 10 million Filipinos abroad as immigrants or guest workers, the Philippines is considered one of the world's biggest providers of laborers.

Filipino workers dominate sectors such as shipping and healthcare. Their remittances, which the Philippine Central Bank reported at a record high of $34.49 billion in 2024, provide a steady cash flow that props up the economy and contributes an estimated 8%-10% of the country's GDP.

JC Punongbayan, a professor of economics at the University of the Philippines, described the idea of "zero remittance week" as symbolic.

"A sustained and widespread halt might matter, but this protest doesn't meet that threshold."

"Many households live paycheck to paycheck so even a one-week delay of remittances from loved ones can disrupt their ability to pay for essentials like food, rent, and utilities," he added.

Rallies held as Duterte marks 80th birthday in detention

Why do some overseas Filipinos support Duterte?

According to sociologist and professor at the University of Birmingham, Nicole Curato, OFWs tend to mirror the political leanings of those back home.  

Curato, who edited the book "The Duterte Reader" told DW that during her fieldwork across the Philippines, "I found that Duterte's appeal lies in his unique mix of iron-fisted order and emotional resonance. He plays the strongman but with just enough compassion to spark hope."

Joanna Lirio, a representative from the migrant rights group Migrante-Netherlands echoed these sentiments.

"Migrant workers have experienced layers and layers of discrimination and exploitation. Duterte appeals to this side of the migrant worker experience that needs a defender."

However, Curato cautioned against overstating Duterte's influence.

Recent polls showed that 51% of Filipinos hold him accountable for drug war killings, while only 25% disagree.  

"Support for Duterte may be intense, but it's far from universal," Curato said.  

Duterte supporters gather outside ICC detention facility to celebrate his 80th birthday

Not everyone supports Duterte

Another group of Filipino migrant workers is part of a group that, translated from Tagalog, wants to "hold Duterte accountable."

According to Lean Jimenez, coordinator of Bayan Europe, an alliance of Filipino progressive organizations, the network has members from 10 countries in Europe calling for justice for the victims of the bloody drug war and other extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.  

Members of the network are also heading to The Hague to hold parallel protests calling for the arrest and prosecution of Duterte allies such as former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa.

Jimenez, who is based in the Netherlands told DW that the number of Duterte supporters, evidenced by the gathering they held on March 23 in The Hague, is really worth noting.  

"They may be loud but that does not mean that they are the majority, and that does not mean that they are correct," said Jimenez.

51% of Pinoys agree Duterte must be held liable for EJK victims of drug war: SWS

Joey Sison, a Filipino migrant worker from Stuttgart, Germany, is taking a six-hour train ride to join the protests in The Hague.

Sison grew up in Duterte's hometown of Davao City and saw how the strongman ran the town as mayor. When he became president, Sison watched in horror as the Davao City template for waging a drug war became state policy.

"I took leave from work just for this. Not for Duterte's birthday but for the families who lost their loved ones in the bloody drug war and extrajudicial killings," said Sison. 

Edited by: Wesley Rahn