As dusk fell on a Hong Kong beach, around a dozen Filipino migrant workers turned on their phone flashlights and placed them around the image of a clenched fist, a symbol of support for Rodrigo Duterte.

The group bowed their heads and said a prayer for the former Philippines president, who is being tried at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity over his war on drugs.

"Please touch the hearts of President Marcos and the judges of the ICC," one of them said during the Sunday beach event, referring to current leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr.