Catholic Nuns light candles to honor the victims of extra judicial killings during a church-led rally at the People Power Monument in Quezon City, November 5, 2017. About 3,000 people joined the event with calls to "Stop the Killings" and "Start. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174521972090120171105-edsa-ejk-rally--4-JC.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Catholic Nuns light candles to honor the victims of extra judicial killings during a church-led rally at the People Power Monument in Quezon City, November 5, 2017. About 3,000 people joined the event with calls to &quot;Stop the Killings.&quot; <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — A lawyer assisting the families of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims believes over 1,500 individuals may seek to participate in the International Criminal Court&#x27;s (ICC) proceedings on former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s crimes against humanity case. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/11/rodrigo-duterte-and-icc-from-years-long-probe-to-unexpected-arrest-1927">Rodrigo Duterte and ICC: From years-long probe to &#x27;unexpected&#x27; arrest</a></div><p>&quot;Our ballpark figure is 1,500 victims,&quot; said National Union of Peoples&#x27; Lawyers&#x27; (NUPL) Kristina Conti, an ICC-accredited assistant to counsel.</p><p>Conti said this was based on the number of EJK victims who participated in the 2021 &quot;representation stage&quot; when the ICC was investigating Duterte&#x27;s drug war. </p><p>&quot;We hope to surpass the figure this time,&quot; she said.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TiwgKjpngM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>To qualify as &quot;victim,&quot; Conti said they must provide the following documents: </p><p>• proof of identity</p><p>• proof of victimhood</p><p>• kinship to the EJK victim</p><p>• proof of harm caused by EJK</p><p>The lawyer clarified that &quot;victims&quot; is another entity in the ICC trial, separate from the prosecution and defense teams.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/31/ejk-victims-lawyer-stupid-vp-sara-told-to-study-int-l-law-face-own-corruption-issue-1330">EJK victims&#x27; lawyer stupid? VP Sara told to study int&#x27;l law</a></div><p>&quot;Victims&#x27; primary responsibility is to air views, concerns, and interests, versus &#x27;victim witnesses&#x27; [tapped by prosecution] who will have to testify facts,&quot; she said.</p><p>Conti said their &quot;Duterte Panagutin&quot; network will be opening up channels for EJK victims who plan to participate in the ICC hearing.</p><p>&quot;We will help them process [their documents] so they can be presented before the court as participating victims,&quot; she said.</p><p>Conti also welcomed the ICC pre-trial chamber&#x27;s decision to reject Duterte camp&#x27;s move to limit the number of participating victims through stringent identification documents such as passport and national ID. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/9/duterte-s-icc-lawyer-seeks-more-stringent-rules-in-victim-identification-1032">Duterte’s ICC lawyer seeks &#x27;more stringent&#x27; rules in victim identification, representation to avoid &#x27;pitfalls&#x27;</a></div><p>&quot;In terms of efficiency, this is most welcome because it reflects the realities on the ground... It is reasonable and actually defers to government issued documents and so this will clearly reflect the realities on the ground,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;The whole gamut of government identification, we think, would be sufficient to prove your identity,&quot; she added.</p><p>Conti earlier criticized the proposal of Duterte&#x27;s defense team, calling it &quot;out of touch, unrealistic, and anti-poor.&quot;</p><p>Duterte is still in the ICC Detention Center as he awaits the confirmation of charges hearing set for September 23.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fOlBoOUOA8k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Kristina Conti said their "Duterte Panagutin" network will be opening up channels for EJK victims who plan to participate in the ICC hearing.</p>

Kristina Conti said their "Duterte Panagutin" network will be opening up channels for EJK victims who plan to participate in the ICC hearing.

Group eyes 1,500 EJK victims to participate in Duterte's ICC case | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Horoscope

Nation

Group eyes 1,500 EJK victims to participate in Duterte's ICC case

Group eyes 1,500 EJK victims to participate in Duterte's ICC case

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 21, 2025 03:52 PM PHT

Read More:

EJK

extrajudicial killings

ICC

International Criminal Court

war on drugs

Kristina Conti

NUPL

drugs

politics

crimes against humanity

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.