The China Mail - Duterte supporters rally as ex-Philippine leader marks 80th in jail

Duterte could spend the remainder of his life in jail if convicted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the charge tied to his "war on drugs" in which thousands were killed.

Police told AFP they had blocked a convoy of at least 100 motorcycle riders near the Philippine presidential palace, horns blaring, waving Filipino flags and brandishing posters that read "Bring Him Home".

In the southern city of Davao, the ex-president's supporters massed for a candle-lit rally, one of more than 200 birthday gatherings demanding his release.

"Almost all Filipinos love him and are very sad for him now," 44-year-old supporter Darbie Bula said.

Presidential palace spokeswoman Claire Castro said that protesters had the right to assemble, but warned against acts that "sow fear (or) promote hatred toward the government, bordering the line of inciting to sedition".

Castro told reporters that Philippine officials wished Duterte "good health, good fortune" -- adding that "he needs that."

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, his eldest daughter, who has been in the Dutch city since shortly after his arrest, said the support "makes the challenges he is facing today more bearable".

Another of the ex-president's daughters, 20-year-old Veronica Duterte, said her father had "always been a force to be reckoned with, even in his sunset days", in a post on social media.

"We will make certain that his legacy lives on", she added.

- 'Systematic attack' -

The ICC chief prosecutor's application for his arrest said Duterte's alleged crimes were "part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population" in the Philippines.

"Potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated," the prosecutor alleged of the campaign that targeted mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

But Sara Duterte has said that the once wildly popular president is convinced that what the ICC did "was wrong and there is no case to begin with".

Duterte's arrest on March 11 and rapid handover to the international tribunal came on the heels of his family's bitter falling out with his successor, President Ferdinand Marcos.

Cracks began to appear in their alliance soon after Marcos teamed up with Sara Duterte to sweep the presidential and vice presidential elections in May 2022.

The vice president quit her cabinet post as education secretary after being denied the defence portfolio, while Duterte himself began calling Marcos a drug addict.

Last month, Sara Duterte was impeached by a pro-Marcos House of Representatives on charges that include an alleged assassination plot against the president.

The outcome of her Senate trial will likely depend on the number of seats her allies win in May 12 mid-term elections.

The ex-president will next appear in court on September 23. He is only allowed two visits per day -- a lawyer and a family member, the vice president said.

"I urged him to write a book and then when you get out, we'll sell it and make money out of it," she said.

B.Carter--ThChM