As families of victims of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war start to find closure from his arrest, his supporters have gathered in the thousands at the Hague, calling for his release. Beijing has also denied reports that Duterte applied for asylum in China.
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00:00It's been seven years since salon worker Christine Pascual lost her son, Joshua.
00:05The 17-year-old was shot dead in a police operation during former Philippine President
00:11Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs.
00:14One of thousands killed in the brutal anti-drug campaign.
00:18Like many other victims' families, Pascual has struggled for justice.
00:24And she says she feels little relief at the former strongman's recent arrest.
00:29Even though he's in jail, he's still there.
00:36His soul is still there, he won't leave your body.
00:42You'll die of the pain,
00:45and there's no way to make up for it.
00:49Duterte was arrested in Manila to face charges of crimes against humanity
00:54at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
00:58This comes as he and his successor, current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., had a fallout.
01:04In what's seen as a power struggle between the country's two most influential political
01:09dynasties, human rights activists have welcomed Duterte's arrest.
01:14But the controversial leader remains a popular figure, with thousands of overseas Filipinos
01:20gathering where he is detained in The Hague to call for his release.
01:24Accusing the Marcos administration of politically persecuting Duterte.
01:30His daughter, Sara, the Philippines' current vice president, has also been in town, overseeing
01:36her father's legal defense and questioning his arrest.
01:39He's very confident about the legal arguments.
01:44He's very confident about that, that what they did was wrong.
01:50And there is no case to begin with.
01:55Before his arrest at the Manila airport, Duterte was meeting supporters in Hong Kong.
02:01His presence in the city, prompting speculation that he was there to seek asylum from China,
02:07a claim the Beijing government is now refuting.
02:20Back at The Hague, security has been tightened around the ICC perimeter, as Duterte's supporters
02:26continue to stake out the court's facilities.
02:29For them, the trial is a travesty.
02:32But for Pascual, it may just be the start of healing.
02:36Kama Hsu and Gino Lopez for Taiwan Plus.