Detained ex-President Duterte is among the candidates in Philippines midterms

MANILA, Philippines — Even though he is detained in The Hague, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is among the candidates vying for some 18,000 national and local seats in Monday’s midterm elections that analysts say will decide if he and his family continue to hold political power.

Duterte has been in custody of the International Criminal Court since March, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity over a brutal war on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead during his presidency 2016-2022. It hasn’t stopped him from running for mayor of his southern Davao city stronghold.

Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals.

Duterte is widely expected to win as Davao mayor, a position he held for over two decades before becoming president. It’s less clear how he can practically serve as mayor from behind bars.

Over 68 million Filipinos have registered to vote Monday for half of the 24-member Senate, all the 317 seats in the House of Representatives and various positions in provinces, cities and municipalities. The spotlight is on the race for the Senate that could determine the political future of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

She faces an impeachment trial in the Senate in July over accusations of plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and corruption involving her office’s intelligence funds. She has denied the allegations, saying they were spread by her political opponents to destroy her.

Sara Duterte is considered a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race. But if convicted by the Senate, she will be removed as vice president and disqualified from holding public office. To be acquitted, she needs at least nine of 24 senators to vote in her favor.

“The 2025 midterm elections will be crucial, because the results will set the pace for what will happen next, which family or faction will dominate the elections in 2028,” said Maria Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.

If Sara Duterte is convicted in the impeachment trial, it could signal the end of the Duterte family holding key positions in the country, she said. Other family members running in the election include Rodrigo Duterte’s youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao who is now running for vice mayor. His eldest son Paolo is seeking reelection as a member of the House of Representatives. Two grandsons are also running in local races.

The impeachment and Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and transfer to the tribunal in The Hague came after Marcos and Sara Duterte’s ties unraveled over political differences and their competing ambitions.

“This election will decide the future of our country,” Sara Duterte said in a rally in Manila last week, where she campaigned for the family-backed senatorial candidates and criticized the Marcos administration. “Your vote will decide if we can continue reforms or continue to slide to our doom.”

Her father’s spiritual adviser and close political ally, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, is also running for a Senate seat despite being detained on charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking. He is also wanted in the U.S. on similar charges.

The vote will last until 7 p.m. Monday. Some voters complained their names were missing from the list of voters in their precinct, while others grumbled about the long queue amid the stifling heat.

Voter Reymark Marquez said the Marcos-Duterte team that won in 2022 failed to deliver on promises. He said the midterm elections are “beyond Duterte versus Marcos but about choosing the right leaders.”

“I think what is at stake in this election is the future of the next generation,” Diana Joy Acosta, a 32-year-old new mother, said after casting her vote in a school in metropolitan Manila’s Mandaluyong City. For her baby’s future, she hopes for an end to corruption and the election of politicians with integrity.