Page 173 - AAE PR REPORT - MARCH 2025

4/2/25, 9:05 AM Filipinos in UAE say they cannot afford to support Duterte by withholding payments back home | The National
The campaign is geared towards grabbing attention without "collateral damage", organisers
have said.

The $38.84 billion sent home in remittances to the Philippines last year represented more than
8 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. Mr Duterte's supporters hope withholding

the payments will force the Philippine government into action and secure his return to the
country.

But Juan Ponce Enrile, chief presidential legal counsel of the Philippines, warned in a Facebook
post this week that overseas workers should think “many, many times” before taking part in the

boycott, saying "for every action, there is always a possible counteraction".

What are the charges?

Mr Duterte is facing a charge of “the crime against humanity of murder”, according to the ICC,
over a crackdown on the drug trade. Rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor

men were killed by officers and vigilantes, often without evidence they were linked to drugs.

The Philippines quit the ICC in 2019 on Mr Duterte's instructions, but the tribunal has

maintained that it continues to hold jurisdiction over killings before the country's withdrawal. It
also says it has jurisdiction over killings in the southern city of Davao when Mr Duterte was

mayor there, years before he became president in 2016.

The hearing to confirm the charges against home was set to begin on September 23. Judges

will assess whether there is enough evidence to continue to a full trial, which could take years. If
Mr Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in jail.

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