The Philippines’ 2025 midterm election could have marked a moment of reckoning for the decades-old populist Duterte dynasty. Its patriarch, 80-year-old former President Rodrigo, had been arrested by the International Criminal Court in March for alleged crimes against humanity.

Even though he is detained in The Hague, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was among candidates who vied for some 18,000 national and local seats in Monday’s midterm elections.

By bno - Jakarta Office The 2025 Philippines midterm elections were anticipated as a critical checkpoint in the country’s democratic journey, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).