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.
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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 as Duterte had withdrawn the Philippines from ICC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.
