Outside the International Criminal Court detention centre in The Hague, Netherlands. OLIVER GUTIERREZ/MARIETA MONTA/EXPAT MEDIA
What was once an unremarkable stretch of grass outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in The Hague has now blossomed into a gathering place of passion, patriotism, and picnic blankets. Filipinos supporting former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte have transformed the quiet lawn into what they now call “Duterte Park”—a place of vigils, celebration, and bayanihan spirit. Complete with food-sharing, impromptu birthday parties, and even an ice cream truck, the area has become an accidental landmark and cultural statement outside one of the world’s most high-profile international justice centers.A gathering with food, flags, and free ice cream
Supporters regularly converge outside the ICC, many proudly waving Philippine flags. Some set up picnic mats and bean bags, others bring food to share, and on special occasions, a large TV screen with speakers turns the gathering into a community lounge. The festivities reached a peak on March 28—Duterte’s 80th birthday—when supporters threw a Filipino-style birthday bash complete with lechon and homemade dishes. One supporter even parked an ice cream truck and handed out free treats.
Dr. Marieta Monta, who flew in from the UK two weeks ago, said reports of authorities asking them to leave are false. “It’s not true that they are asking people to leave. The police are not angry. They are amazed. They even said, ‘Welcome to our village,’” Monta told Expat Media.
Dutch authorities, according to supporters, have cooperated by installing barricades for crowd control and placing portable toilets on site.
‘Bayanihan is very much alive’
Oliver Gutierrez, a Filipino based in Canada, flew 14 hours to join the vigil last month. He said that the passion of his fellow Filipinos at the site was overwhelming. “The bayanihan is very much alive and it only shows that a lot of Filipinos love FPRRD. We spend our own money to show our support contrary to what the Marcos administration is saying—that we are paid,” Gutierrez told Expat Media.
He also expressed concern over the legal process that led to Duterte’s arrest. “I feel like due process was not followed in so many ways,” he said, while urging Filipinos to vote wisely in the next elections.
The movement may soon become more organized. One group leader revealed they are working to secure a permit to hold events every two weeks, starting this April. “This is becoming a tourist area,” the organizer said. “We are going to create organized events up until Tatay Digong is released. We will have themes so people won’t get bored,” he said in the Cebuano language.
Even Duterte himself is reportedly amused by the attention. In an ambush interview outside the facility, his long-time partner Honeylet Avanceña said she told him the park has been unofficially named after him.
“He said he was amused,” Avanceña shared. “And I told him, ‘You know the people there tell the Dutch police, ‘We want our president home,’ and they would also say, ‘We also want him home.’”
‘It was like a reunion of Filipinos’
Dr. Monta, who was among the hundreds of Filipinos who showed up at the April 7 rally, said she was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing the outpouring of support for Duterte outside the ICC detention centre. “For the first time when my friends and I arrived there, I had goosebumps and a very emotional feeling. You can’t explain why he’s there inside,” Monta told Expat Media, saying she believes Duterte does not deserve to be detained. “He is the only one who truly showed concern for OFWs and the poor. Why is he inside when he made so many people happy and helped so many?” she said.
Monta, a Davao native and long-time humanitarian advocate, said her support for Duterte is rooted in her personal experience living in Davao City during his time as mayor. “During my childhood, Davao was one of the safest cities for us. When he became president, I witnessed changes in the country—many NPAs surrendered, infrastructure development happened under the Build, Build, Build program, and most of all, he was the only president who truly cared for OFWs,” she said.
She recalled that during her visit to The Hague in March and most recently on April 7, Filipinos from around the world gathered in unity. “Everywhere at the central city was Filipino. Even if we didn’t know each other, someone would come up to me and say, ‘Are you Filipina?’ That’s how the conversation started, and I got to meet many kababayans from Europe, the US, the Middle East—even an old friend I hadn’t seen in 20 years,” she said. “It was like a reunion. And of course, as usual for us Filipinos, when we see each other, we are joyful. It was indeed a great experience, and at the same time sad, because FPRRD is in detention.”
As a member of the Zonta International Organisation and founder of the Maya Heart Foundation, Monta said her advocacy for human welfare has taken her across countries, but Duterte’s case has struck a personal chord. “I feel sad that the only president who gave power to the most vulnerable, and who loved the country wholeheartedly, is inside a detention centre,” she said. “Every time I remember his words, ‘Ano ba ang kasalanan ko?’ my heart breaks.”
Monta expressed her hope that Duterte would be released and brought back to the Philippines to be with his family. “We’re hoping and praying that FPRRD will return to the Philippines, where he belongs. If anything happens to him, the Filipino people who love him will not be at peace,” she said. “We truly believe he did nothing wrong. He cared about human lives, not just human rights.”
Duterte, 80, was arrested in the Philippines on March 12 and flown to The Hague to await trial for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his controversial war on drugs. He made his initial appearance at the ICC on March 14. His next pre-trial session is scheduled for September 23. If the case proceeds, a formal trial could begin in early 2026.
Duterte is currently held at the Scheveningen Prison complex—a former Nazi prison now used by the ICC. Visits to Duterte are limited to his legal team and family. Despite the long legal road ahead, Duterte has maintained that “everything I did, I did for my country.” ICA/CAM/Expat Media
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