The ‘Trump card’

NAGOYA – A few days before we arrived here, social media posts on X reported groups of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Japan organizing a “birthday” gathering to show their support to detained former president Rodrigo Duterte. In this central city in Japan, dozens if not hundreds of Filipinos coming from various prefectures in Nagoya have spontaneously mobilized a group gathering in Ikeda, Koen to honor Mr. Duterte’s 80th birthday despite his being detained at The Hague, Netherlands.

Most Filipino communities in Japan live in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. But the majority of the Filipino population can be found in Aichi Prefecture in the capital city of Nagoya, home to around 10,000 Pinoys. As of December 2024, it is estimated there are 341,518 Filipinos all over Japan, making them the fourth largest foreign community here.

Similar pro-Duterte birthday group gatherings, from land-based OFWs to Filipino seamen onboard international ships have been reported in other parts of the world. Pinoys living and working abroad poured out their bleeding hearts to see their former beloved “Tatay Digong” flown and sent to detention at The Hague. Mr. Duterte was picked up by agents of the International Police Organization (Interpol) upon his arrival in Manila from Hong Kong last March 11. The Interpol served the “diffusion notice” by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him on charges of “crimes against humanity” based on 43 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s deadly all-out war against illegal drugs.

If we are to believe photos posted on Facebook and other popular social media platforms, the OFWs as far away as Antarctica and even in the middle of the seas held indignation gatherings. They all raised the Philippine flag to dramatize their protest against the detention of our former president in a foreign land.

In a random chat with some of our kababayans here, many of them recalled how former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo went through the slow grind of the Philippine justice system and both were detained. Mr. Estrada was initially detained in a police camp outside Metro Manila, then to Veterans Hospital and later at his Tanay, Rizal resort residence. Mrs. Arroyo, on the other hand, also got “hospital detention.”

Our OFWs here commonly lamented why the present administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) had to “surrender” to the ICC the former Davao City mayor. In fairness, they rightly argued ex-president Duterte could be detained and face instead Philippine courts for the same crimes of alleged EJK cases. After all, ex-president Duterte has repeatedly accepted full responsibility in the conduct of the deadly war against illegal drugs.

In many of his public speeches during and even after his administration at the Senate and House public hearings, Mr. Duterte has reiterated that he and he alone is answerable for his all-out war against illegal drugs. The former chief executive has consistently cited the sad plight of many OFWs whenever any member of their families gets hooked on illegal drugs. And such resonates to many of our kababayans. They find comfort to hear their “Tatay Digong” watching over their families and being protected by him while they are working hard abroad without having to worry about drug-related crimes.

Unfortunately, the sentiments of our OFWs are being mis-labelled as “pro-Duterte” protest rallies.

We arrived here a day before the official kick-off of the 2025 Formula 1 season for the Japanese Grand Prix here at the Suzuka Circuit located here at the Mie Prefecture, south of Nagoya. The 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship is a motor racing championship recognized as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars.

The championship is contested over 24 Grands Prix held around the world. This is the first time I’ve watched up close and personal such international fast car racing competition. Now I know the feeling of PBBM when he went all the way to Singapore just to watch the F-1 in Singapore in October 2022.

On Day 2 here, we attended a dialogue with so-called “thought leaders” on a very relatable topic about “Future-Proofing Innovation: Bridging the Gap Between Progress and Policy.” Speakers included Jackson Coz, founder and president of the American Association of the Indo-Pacific (AAIP). Based in Bangkok, Jackson works on bringing regional business perspectives to key policy discussions in Washington DC.

Being American, Jackson naturally got buttonholed on questions about the brewing “international trade war” triggered by the decision of US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs across all its trading countries, including the Philippines. Jackson likened President Trump’s raising tariffs to a major earthquake.

“The tectonic plates shifted in the United States without the US on the table,” Jackson quipped. “It’s up to us (business companies) to bring back order to chaos,” he urged. Instead of saying “the sky is falling,” Jackson reminded business leaders to find ways “to leverage” whatever might come out of Trump’s tariff war.

Speaking about the US, Senators Imee Marcos and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa have started using the so-called “Trump card” in the ICC cases of ex-president Duterte. The “Trump card” was raised during the resumption of the Senate foreign relations committee public hearing on Duterte’s “arrest.”

Senator Imee, eldest sister of PBBM, asked the rhetorical question if ex-president Duterte is covered by Section 8D2 of President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) that classified “protected person” as a citizen or ally of the US that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction. She cited PBBM’s own policy statement maintaining the Philippine government withdrawal from the ICC. Incidentally, Hungary also withdrew from the ICC just last week.

She and Dela Rosa further invoked the same EO of President Trump, Section 1 on “asset freeze” that could be applied to the owner of the Gulf Stream jet that flew Mr. Duterte to The Hague. She believes the “owner” of this plane might have assets stashed in the US that could be covered by the same Trump EO.

A sworn Duterte ally, she has used up her Trump cards in her sibling spat.