Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News, file

Harlene Delgado

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The International Criminal Court’s call for witnesses to come forward with information on the Philippine government&#x27;s deadly anti-drug campaign shows the process is moving forward and not an indication of weak evidence, a lawyer assisting families of drug war victims said.Speaking on DZMM on Sunday, lawyer Kristina Conti, an assistant to counsel at the ICC, rejected the idea that the ICC prosecutor does not have evidence in the charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is in ICC custody at the The Hague in the Netherlands.“Para sa akin hindi po ito indikasyon na mahina ang ebidensiya. Ano lang, talagang thorough ang ICC sa pag-iimbestiga lang, kaya ang ano nila, ang hudyat nito, baka may mga gusto pang magsalita, sabihin niyo na,” Conti told DZMM Sunday, January 18. (For me, this is not an indication that evidence is weak. The ICC is just being thorough in its investigation. So, this is their signal to say &#x27;If there are any others who wish to speak, please do so.&#x27;)Lawyer Nicholas Kaufman of Duterte&#x27;s defense team  has said he believes the appeal should not have been made public but acknowledged prosecutors are obliged to continue the investigation.Lawyer and Duterte ally Jimmy Bondoc has mocked the call on his Facebook page calling it &quot;crowdsourcing&quot; by the ICC and implying the prosecutor is only now seeking witness testimony.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/16/icc-issues-call-for-witnesses-in-philippines-war-on-drugs-investigation-0632">ICC issues call for witnesses in Philippines &#x27;war on drugs&#x27; investigation</a></div>The Office of the Prosecutor had specifically urged &quot;members of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies who were involved&quot; in the operations to speak to investigators.<div> </div><div>&#x27;NATURAL COURSE OF BUSINESS&#x27;</div><div> </div>The Office of the ICC Prosecutor earlier released a microsite link intended to collect testimonies and evidence related to alleged crimes against humanity during the war on drugs.Conti said the ICC prosecutor&#x27;s call was the ‘natural course of business’, noting that witness appeal is a practice in some countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States that the ICC may have adopted.“May ebidensya na, kaya nga dapat nung September 26 maghi-hearing na eh,&quot; Conti said.(There is evidence already, that&#x27;s why there was supposed to be a hearing on September 26)The confirmation of charges hearing was postponed over defense concerns that Duterte may not be fit enough for it to commence.&quot;Sa bahagi ng prosecution, ng victim, eh pwede pang kumbaga kumilos-kilos pa para sa kaso at para sa imbestigasyon,&quot; Conti said.(On the part of the prosecution, of the victims, that is an opportunity to work on the case and the investigation more)She further disclosed that there are thousands of pieces of evidence that had been exchanged by the parties.“And I would say, about 100 names of witnesses, according to Atty. Kaufman, have been submitted,” Conti added.Kaufman had criticized the the witness appeal through the ICC website, saying that the Court “is meant to be a neutral body and the system of law applied is adversarial.”“This means that equality of arms between the parties to the litigation should be ensured and preferential treatment should not be afforded the Prosecution to the detriment of the Defence,” Kaufman said earlier this week.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/12/icc-pre-trial-chamber-rejects-duterte-camp-request-to-appeal-ruling-1206">ICC pre-trial chamber rejects Duterte camp request to appeal ruling </a></div>But Conti said the Office of the Prosecutor is part of the Court, which has the right to publish information on its website.“Nagsi-signal kasi na opisyal na panawagan ng ICC ito kaya wala po akong nakikitang mali,” Conti said.(This signals that the call is an official one by the ICC so I don&#x27;t see anything wrong with it)Conti said that potential testimony from police personnel would help the prosecutor&#x27;s case &quot;if they tell the truth&quot; since it might show that the alleged drug war killings were systematic.

Lawyer Kristina Conti said the ICC prosecutor's call was the ‘natural course of business’, noting that witness appeal is a practice in some countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States that the ICC may have adopted.

Lawyer Kristina Conti said the ICC prosecutor's call was the ‘natural course of business’, noting that witness appeal is a practice in some countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States that the ICC may have adopted.

Conti: ICC prosecutor's call is for additional witnesses in drug war probe

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Conti: ICC prosecutor's call is for additional witnesses in drug war probe

Harlene Delgado,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 18, 2026 02:58 PM PHT

Read More:

International Criminal Court

Office of the ICC Prosecutor

Kristina Conti

Nicholas Kaufman

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