Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has left the Philippines, boarding a chartered flight to The Hague, Netherlands—where he is expected to face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC). His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, also departed the country on Emirates flight EK 337 at 7:40 AM, heading to the same destination. While it remains unclear whether she will meet her father during a layover in Dubai, one thing is certain: the once-unshakable Duterte empire is crumbling.

But the biggest question remains—why was Duterte the only one arrested?

The ICC complaint did not just name Duterte; it also implicated his key enforcers: former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chiefs Senator Bato Dela Rosa and ex-General Oscar Albayalde. These men were not mere bystanders. Dela Rosa, as Duterte’s first PNP chief, spearheaded the bloody anti-drug campaign that led to thousands of extrajudicial killings. When he stepped down to run for Senate, Albayalde picked up where he left off, ensuring the relentless wave of state-sanctioned violence continued.

Now, Dela Rosa is once again vying for a Senate seat. He is polling among the top twelve candidates, but will his looming ICC case derail his ambitions? Winning a Senate seat may provide him temporary political leverage, but history has shown that even high-ranking officials are not immune to arrest. Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, and current Presidential Legal Adviser Juan Ponce Enrile were all jailed despite their political status. If an ICC warrant is issued, Dela Rosa’s position in the Senate will not save him.

Meanwhile, the silence of Albayalde is deafening. His whereabouts remain unknown, sparking speculation that he may be in hiding, anticipating the inevitable.

Justice cannot be selective. The mastermind—Duterte—may be in custody, but his chief executioners must not walk free. Former Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, the first to file the ICC case, believes that Dela Rosa and Albayalde will eventually face the same fate. The only question is when.

The Duterte administration’s so-called “war on drugs” led to an estimated 33,000 deaths—though official figures conveniently downplay the toll to just over 3,000. While some Filipinos remain indifferent, the majority have rejected the brutal methods used in this campaign. Now, the tables have turned. The current administration has seized the upper hand, and Duterte’s arrest has sent a chilling message to the political elite: no one is above accountability.

Dela Rosa and Albayalde may be running out of time. The world is watching. Will justice be served, or will these enforcers of state-sponsored killings escape the fate they so readily imposed on thousands of Filipinos?