The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow former President Rodrigo Duterte to take his oath before a consul after he was proclaimed as newly-elected mayor of Davao City.

In an interview with reporters in Quezon City on Monday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said Duterte will have to take his oath to assume as the next mayor of the city.

"What I will do is ask permission from the ICC if our consul can come to facilitate the oath-taking because he needs to take oath to assume office," he said.

"We recognize the victory of former president Rodrigo Duterte. He was declared mayor by the Comelec. He was proclaimed the day after elections. Overwhelming mandate. So we recognize him as the mayor," he added.

Remulla said while the DILG recognized the former president as the duly elected mayor of Davao City, his son Sebastian Duterte who is the next vice president of the city will have to take over his position during his absence.

"In his absence, the vice mayor will be there... He needs to be physically present. So in his incapacity that he cannot serve, the vice mayor will take over for the meantimeIn his absence, the vice mayor will be there. We recognized PRRD as duly elected mayor of Davao," he said.

Duterte was arrested and surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague last March due to his alleged violation of crimes against humanity committed during his war on drugs.

Despite his detention in The Hague, Duterte was elected as mayor in his home city by a landslide victory in the 2025 mid-term poll. He was proclaimed as the newly elected mayor of the city on May 13, 2025. Robina Asido/DMS