Why ex-Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte was re-elected Davao mayor despite his ICC trial

Residents of the southern Philippine city of Davao have elected former president Rodrigo Duterte as mayor of his southern stronghold during the May 2025 midterm elections in the country. The landslide victory came as Duterte was in detention at The Hague, where he faces a trial for crimes against humanity related to his brutal war on drugs while he was president. Despite the possibility of being convicted, Duterte remains very popular at home. But now Davao faces the prospect of having a mayor who would have to govern the city in absentia.