Police officers stationed at the VIP arrival area of NAIA Terminal 3. PHOTO

Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) after a prosecutor general from the International Criminal Court (ICC) had served a warrant of arrest for alleged crimes against humanity.

Malacanang confirmed that early morning Tuesday, INTERPOL Manila received the official copy of the warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court.

The Prosecutor General served the ICC notification for the arrest warrant on Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity, upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Malacanang said.

Duterte was placed under PNP custody will be brought to either the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City or Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Duterte’s former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvado Panelo called the development an “unlawful arrest.”

“It is an illegal arrest because the ICC arrest warrant comes from a spurious source, the ICC, which has no jurisdiction over the Philippines. The government action will make the arresting team as well as the public officials ordering the arrest criminally liable,” he added.

Duterte, his legal counsel, former labor chief Silvestre Bello III said they would seek his hospital detention.

Earlier in the morning, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, and dozens of police officers were spotted at the airport.