Geline Salac

Former President Rodrigo Duterte testifies at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings, addressing alleged human rights violations from his administration’s war on drugs on October 28, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Former President Rodrigo Duterte

Bea Cuadra

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17591829448901759182938111.jpeg" style="width:656px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div>Former President Rodrigo Duterte testifies at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings, addressing alleged human rights violations from his administration’s war on drugs on October 28, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</div><div> </div>Recent legal filing from the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) is making waves, <a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/court-record/icc-01/21-01/25-278-red">rejecting</a> the latest attempt by former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte&#x27;s defense team to secure his <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/29/vp-duterte-says-better-if-dad-rodrigo-granted-interim-release-to-davao-city-1428">interim release</a>.The filing, officially titled the &quot;Public Redacted Version of Victims’ Response to the ‘Defense Notification’,&quot; argues that Duterte&#x27;s continued detention is still &quot;necessary&quot; and that his legal team has failed to provide any new, compelling reasons to justify his release.The document&#x27;s core message states that the defense &quot;fails to demonstrate any change of circumstances, nor does it bring any other pertinent and unforeseen matter...that would affect or alter the fact that the continued detention of Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte remains necessary.&quot;This stance is the cornerstone of the victims&#x27; opposition, as represented by Principal Counsel Paolina Massidda, who signed the document on September 29, 2025.The defense&#x27;s argument for release, detailed in a &quot;Defense Notification&quot; from September 16, 2025, seems to hinge on a &quot;logistical hurdle&quot; that would allegedly prolong the proceedings.The defense claims this delay is an &quot;extra factor militating in favour of interim release,&quot; insisting that &quot;administrative delay...cannot justify the abrogation of liberty.&quot;However, the OPCV dismisses this argument as weak and procedurally improper.The filing labels the defense&#x27;s request as a third attempt to supplement its earlier, &quot;unconvincing arguments.&quot;“In effect substantively supplements its earlier requests for interim release, now the third of its kind… ex gratia supplementation of its earlier unconvincing arguments in favor of releasing Mr Duterte,” said in the document.It stresses that the defense&#x27;s notification is not a new piece of information but an ineffective re-articulation of its prior requests for interim release.“Second, contrary to the Defense’s submissions, none of the information contained in [REDACTED] is of novel or unanticipated character that could or would alter any of the facts and considerations currently at the disposal of the Chamber,” as stated in the document.Some parts of the document are the victims&#x27; concern for the International Criminal Court&#x27;s (ICC) reputation.The victims’ counsel argues that granting the defense’s request &quot;would ultimately harm the image of the Court as a court of law.&quot;The filing directly confronts the possibility of the court bending to external pressure, asserting that it would &quot;send the message that [REDACTED] before this Court, a proposition the Victims decidedly reject.&quot;The document concludes by reinforcing that Duterte&#x27;s detention is based on &quot;cogent reasons in accordance with the criteria set out in the applicable articles and rules,&quot; and since &quot;none of these reasons has changed,&quot; there is no basis for his release.In summary, the response from the OPCV is a forceful and unyielding defense of the court&#x27;s process and the rights of the victims it represents.It presents a resolute argument that the legal battle is far from over and that justice, in this case, requires the continued detention of the former leader.“For the foregoing reasons, the Legal Representative respectfully requests the Chamber to reject the requests contained in the Notification,” said in the document.

Recent legal filing from the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) is making waves, <a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/court-record/icc-01/21-01/25-278-red">rejecting</a> the latest attempt by former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's defense team to secure his <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/29/vp-duterte-says-better-if-dad-rodrigo-granted-interim-release-to-davao-city-1428">interim release</a>.

Recent legal filing from the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) is making waves, rejecting the latest attempt by former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's defense team to secure his interim release .

Victims' counsel rejects Duterte's bid for freedom, citing 'no change in circumstances'

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Victims' counsel rejects Duterte's bid for freedom, citing 'no change in circumstances'

Bea Cuadra,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 30, 2025 06:10 AM PHT

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international criminal court

ICC

Rodrigo Duterte

The Hague

crimes against humanity

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