section_path: Reactions/Philippine opposition
section_name: Philippine opposition
paragraph_text: Philippine opposition
  
  Former senator Leila de Lima, who was previously imprisoned and later acquitted of drug charges by the Duterte administration, welcomed Duterte's arrest. She also stated that "Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion but before the rule of law". During a press conference in Naga on March 16, de Lima appeared alongside former vice president Leni Robredo, who compared Duterte's situation with de Lima's seven-year imprisonment over what Robredo described as "trumped-up" charges. Robredo noted that Duterte's detention conditions were significantly better compared to de Lima's previous imprisonment.
  
  Former senator Antonio Trillanes, who filed a criminal complaint against Duterte at the ICC in 2017, described Duterte's arrest as "the first step toward achieving justice for the thousands who were killed" and called on Duterte to "purify his soul".
  
  Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros stated that Duterte's arrest marked the day that families of thousands of victims killed during Duterte's drug war had long awaited. Hontiveros urged the government not to stop with Duterte but to pursue accountability for all involved. She reminded Duterte of his previous oath to face the legal process under the ICC.
  
  Members of the House of Representatives ' minority bloc, including party-list lawmakers, also lauded Duterte's arrest. GABRIELA Representative Arlene Brosas called it "a glimpse of hope" for the victims' families, while House Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers described it as "a concrete step towards accountability and justice" for victims of human rights abuses. Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel remarked the arrest as "long overdue and well-deserved". Manuel pointed out that Duterte should be thankful for being calmly apprehended, unlike those who were executed without due process during his war on drugs. Akbayan Representative Perci Cendaña declared that Duterte's "day of reckoning has come."
  
  Former Akbayan representative Walden Bello of the Partido Lakas ng Masa described Duterte's arrest as a "monumental step" in providing justice to the victims of extrajudicial killings. Bello added that Duterte's arrest is the result of a rigorous legal process that offers the former president a fair trial, something Duterte's victims did not receive. Meanwhile, Bello's fellow party member and labor leader Luke Espiritu expressed strong support for Duterte's arrest, accusing the former president of severely damaging the nation's values and character, and calling the arrest "just".