Press Statement
March 3, 2026
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I wrapped up its confirmation of charges hearing on February 27, 2026, in the case of the alleged crime against humanity of murder by former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
“The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) hails the hearings for setting out overwhelming evidence for Duterte to now be taken to a full trial,” said ICHRPs chairperson, Peter Murphy.
The purpose of the confirmation of charges procedure is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Rodrigo Duterte committed the crimes he is accused of. If the charges are confirmed, totally or partly, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the next phase of the proceedings: the trial. The Pre-Trial Chamber, made up of three judges, will issue its decision on the confirmation of charges within 60 days after the confirmation hearing.
While the charge against Duterte covers only a fraction of the victims of his wars on the poor and political dissent, the evidence that was presented is overwhelming for his case to proceed to trial. The ICC is the primary forum for justice for the thousands of victims who have been seeking accountability from Duterte. These include the many National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants and countless other victims of extrajudicial killings during his years of terror as mayor of Davao and then President of the Philippines.
Duterte is charged with the crime against humanity of murder, committed between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, in the context of the ‘war on drugs’ campaign. Duterte’s ‘war on drugs,’ which empowered police to kill lists of poor people with impunity, was fully extended to the military to include activists, human rights defenders, unionists, indigenous people in a war on dissent. Hence, victims of Duterte in the Philippine are innumerable.
The jurisdiction of the ICC does not include many victims murdered between March 17, 2019, and the end of his presidency on June 30, 2022, or those killed subsequently under the orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Duterte had withdrawn the Philippines from ICC jurisdiction in March 2018, with effect one year later.
Current President Marcos Jr. has perfected Duterte’s mechanisms of state violence including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the counterinsurgency program (COIN) and its resulting red tagging. Ongoing disappearances and killings of activists all over the country chill political activity. Like Duterte, Marcos is equally deserving of accountability for violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and crimes against humanity.
”It is important to respect the ICC process. Duterte has been charged with the extremely serious crime against humanity of murder and the facts must be heard and judged in accordance with the rules of evidence,” said Murphy.
“The families of Duterte’s many thousands of victims of continue to await justice. We continue to urge the ICC to ensure that justice is seen to be done. The judicial action against Duterte is a testament to the victims’ families’ sustained bravery and advocacy to stand up against the system in the Philippines which is full of impunity.
“We remind the court that Duterte did not act alone. His arrest and trial is simply the tip of the iceberg. There is great urgency to also hold accountable all those who were complicit in his crimes, including former cabinet members, police chiefs, and senior government officials,” said Murphy.
In July 2025, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor submitted their Document Containing Charges to the Pre-Trial Chamber I and in it they identified Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and other persons as Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators in the alleged commission of crimes against humanity in connection with the drug war. These extra names were redacted until February 13, 2026.
“ICHRP reiterates its call for the ICC to issue arrest warrants for those named: Bato Dela Rosa, Bong Go, Vicente Danao; Oscar Albayalde; Dante Gierran; Isidro Lapeña; and Vitaliano Aguirre II, so that they can also face trial, along with their co-accused Duterte,” said Murphy. “It remains abundantly clear that domestic measures have failed and the Philippine judicial system is unable to prosecute these other alleged perpetrators.”
ICHRP is committed to long-term international efforts to bring alleged criminals like Duterte and Marcos Jr to justice, and to support the grassroots movements in the Philippines leading this struggle. “We are committed to supporting human rights and respect for international humanitarian law in the Philippines. Filipinos have the right to organize and resist the devastating impacts of neo-liberalism and neocolonialism, de facto martial law and the resulting widespread grinding poverty,” Murphy concluded.
Duterte will remain in detention at the ICC while awaiting the decision on his case proceeding to trial.
