Marilyn Cahatol

Families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) turn emotional as they watch the live streaming of the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber rejecting the appeal of the defense team for the interim release of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, at the UP College of Law in Quezon City on November 28, 2025.

Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, by Interpol following an ICC warrant charging him with crimes against humanity related to the Philippine drug war. 

Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1771844264004022226_ICC Duterte.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Relatives of drug war victims hold a protest in front of the International Criminal Court, ahead of the confirmation of charges hearing against former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague in the Netherlands, February 22, 2026. Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Relatives of drug war victims hold a protest in front of the International Criminal Court, ahead of the confirmation of charges hearing against former president Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague in the Netherlands, February 22, 2026. <em>Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The families of the victims of the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s bloody drug war warned the International Criminal Court that there is &quot;no other recourse&quot; for them to achieve justice should the judges decide not to confirm the charges of crimes against humanity that the former Philippine president is facing.</p><p>Victims&#x27; legal counsel Joel Butuyan, during the first day of Duterte&#x27;s confirmation of charges hearing, said: &quot;This case symbolically represents the last boat the victims can board to go on a journey in search of justice for their loved ones who were brutally killed upon the orders of Mr. Duterte.&quot;</p><p>&quot;If this chamber prevents the boat from sailing by not confirming the charges, the victims will forever be marooned in an island where the nights are filled with the screams and cries for their massacred loved ones,&quot; he added.</p><p>The confirmation of charges hearing, set from Feb. 23 until Feb. 27, will determine whether there are &quot;substantial grounds&quot; that Duterte committed the alleged crimes for his case to proceed to trial.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/23/icc-opens-duterte-confirmation-of-charges-hearings-1718">READ: ICC prosecution lays down evidence vs Duterte in first pre-trial hearing</a></div><p>The legal representative stressed that &quot;there is absolutely no other recourse for the victims,&quot; should the judges bar this case from proceeding to the court&#x27;s Trial Chamber.</p><p>Citing former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Butuyan said that &quot;the door to domestic justice is permanently closed&quot; for the victims of the extrajudicial killings committed during Duterte&#x27;s administration.</p><p>Butuyan added that according to Remulla, &quot;it is difficult to prove the case here (Philippines) and build up the case because those who need to speak are involved in the crime.&quot;</p><p>The legal counsel shared that in the Philippines, criminal cases may reach the court only if initiated or filed by the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman.</p><p>With Remulla being appointed as Ombudsman after serving as Justice chief, Butuyan said &quot;the two gatekeepers of justice are successively occupied by a ranking official who has declared that there is absolutely no hope for domestic justice for the victims.&quot;</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;DUTERTE CLONES&#x27;</strong></div><p>Butuyan stressed many victims still fear telling their stories &quot;of how their lives became a living hell as a result of Mr. Duterte&#x27;s crimes&quot; due to the harassments, threats and violence they allegedly receive from the &quot;clones&quot; the former chief executive supposedly produced.</p><p>&quot;He converted millions of peace-loving citizens into bloodthirsty disciples who have become converts to the belief that violence and killings are valid solutions to societal problems,&quot; Butuyan said.</p><p>About 500 victims have participated in the case, way lower compared to the thousands of Filipinos who lost their lives during Duterte&#x27;s anti-drug campaign.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/23/duterte-maintains-his-innocence-absolutely-says-kaufman-1949">READ: Duterte &#x27;maintains his innocence absolutely,&#x27; says Kaufman</a></div><p>The legal counsel said victims fear that &quot;Duterte clones will become an even bigger group that can elect another apostle of impunity as the Philippines&#x27; next leader.&quot;</p><p>&quot;If that happens, an even more serious condition of impunity can take place in the Philippines, possibly worse than the orgy of violence that happened from 2011 to 2019, and this time, there would be no ICC to run to for assistance and help,&quot; he said.</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;VIRUS OF IMPUNITY&#x27;</strong></div><p>Butuyan noted of the &quot;terror-filled threats&quot; and violent actions Duterte may use against the victims should he be freed from the ICC detention facility.</p><p>&quot;If Mr. Duterte could threaten to slap the judges of this court, which he did while he was president, this chamber should imagine the kind of terror-filled threats and the violent actions that can easily be used against the victims if the suspect walks free from this court,&quot; he said.</p><p>He said history may view Duterte as a &quot;conquering hero,&quot; who &quot;vanquished the ICC and who cleansed his country of 30,000 rapists, murderers and dangerous criminals.&quot;</p><p>Butuyan said victims, who lost their loved ones several years ago, have lived in constant fear, due to the &quot;virus of impunity&quot; that infected millions of Filipinos.</p><p>&quot;The arrest and detention of Mr. Duterte has not stopped impunity in the Philippines. The virus of impunity that he spread all over the country has become a cancer that metastasized, infecting millions of Filipinos,&quot; he said.</p><p>He stressed that should the pre-trial chamber confirm Duterte&#x27;s charges, the police and other law enforcement agencies will be forced to confront the killings &quot;they either personally committed or allowed to be committed.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The trial will hold a mirror to the police force and compel them to see how they were turned into executioners and assassins, and their organization transformed into a gigantic criminal organization or turned into a killing machine by Mr. Duterte,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The whole Philippines needs to know the real story during those bloody years,&quot; he said, adding that Filipinos had no chance to know the truth due to the &quot;hush-hush, tidbits of sporadic news,&quot; and &quot;trolls who mass produce and broadcast false, fake, and fabricated news.&quot;</p><p>&quot;If the chamber confirms the charges, the trial proceedings will produce a historical record of the most bloody period of post-war Philippine history — a duty that the Philippine justice system has refused to perform,&quot; he said.</p><p><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/20/icc-confirmation-of-charges-hearing-to-proceed-without-duterte-1724">Duterte was not present at his confirmation of charges hearing</a> after the ICC granted his request to waive his right to attend, where he said he refuses to recognize the court&#x27;s jurisdiction over his case.   </p><p>He is facing three counts of crimes against humanity over the alleged killings committed from 2011 to 2019, covering his terms as Davao City mayor and as president.  </p><p>Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, upon his arrival from Hong Kong at the ICC&#x27;s request. He was brought to The Hague in the Netherlands on the same day.  </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/hJTx5L0eIh4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><em> </em></div>

<p>The families of the victims of the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody drug war warned the ICC that there is "no other recourse" for them to achieve justice should the judges decide not to confirm the charges against him. </p>

The families of the victims of the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody drug war warned the ICC that there is "no other recourse" for them to achieve justice should the judges decide not to confirm the charges against him.

'Virus of impunity': Victims' counsel warns of risks if charges against Duterte are not confirmed

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'Virus of impunity': Victims' counsel warns of risks if charges against Duterte are not confirmed

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 23, 2026 07:00 PM PHT

|

Updated February 25, 2026 08:23 AM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

International Criminal Court

Victims

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