Camille Naredo

Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

EJK- ICC

Carmelle Lacuata

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177194800753320260223-icc-duterte-victim-families-up-MT12.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News" width="960"/>Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA — Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, by targeting those in low-income communities, was more of a “war against the poor”, the victims’ legal counsel told the International Criminal Court during the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing.Atty. Gilbert Andres, in his statement, enumerated how the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs targeted the humanity of the victims, their families and their communities. First, through his public speeches, Duterte publicly dehumanized the victims of his war on drugs, which for Andres, conditioned the Filipino people to accept the manner in which these victims died.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/victims-counsel-calls-for-confirmation-of-charges-vs-duterte-this-court-is-their-last-refuge-2321">Victims&#x27; counsel calls for confirmation of charges vs. Duterte: &#x27;This court is their last refuge&#x27;</a></div>“Mr. Duterte publicly dehumanized the victims of his anti-drug campaign. This dehumanization of the victims was used to justify their eventual murders,” he said.“These public speeches of Mr. Duterte served to condition the Filipino people on the excuse of the murders of the victims of his anti-drug campaign, and how the murders were taken out, brazen, execution style. These public speeches of Mr. Duterte were emblematic of findings that atrocity crimes were often preceded by the process of dehumanizing the identities of others to justify the crimes,” Andres added.Andres said the victims were further dehumanized by killing them in their homes or in their communities, bereft of any judicial process.“The murdered victims were dehumanized by how they were murdered. During their actual murders, the targeted victims were summarily accused as drug users or pushers, without the benefit of a judicial process just like the one before this Chamber. The victims were then murdered inside their homes, or within their close-knit community. The victims who were murdered inside their homes were murdered in front of their family, their spouse, their children, or their parent -- especially in front of their mothers,” he said.“The home which was supposed to be a shelter of security for the direct victims became the crime scenes of their brazen murder,” Andres also said.They would then be stigmatized as “na-tokhang” (victim of the Tokhang operation) or “nanlaban” (those who fought back), despite the lack of any judicial declaration, with their killings falsely portrayed as “self-defense” due to them fighting back at the police.“After the murder, evidence of illegal drugs, and/or paltik guns, were even planted on the murdered victims as part of the modus operandi of the anti-drug campaign to allegedly show that the victims purportedly fought back,” Andres explained.“Thus, the murdered victims were not only known as natokhang and as drug users, they are also now known in their close-knit communities with the false label of nanlaban, or someone who fought back,” he added.But for the indirect victims, or their surviving family members, the stigma would continue as they would often be shunned by their neighbors for fear that they would also be targetted by the police for knowing someone who was “na-tokhang”.“The surviving family members of the murdered victims were avoided and shunned in their close-knit community. The neighbors avoid the surviving family members, fearing for their own lives, by reason of association to a murdered tokhang victim, and the surviving family members usually mourn alone during the wake of their murdered loved ones,” Andres said.The children of the victims would also sometimes be bullied in school, with some of them suffering from depression and even developing symptoms like epilepsy.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/icc-prosecutor-explains-roles-of-duterte-s-alleged-co-perpetrators-2106">ICC prosecutor explains roles of Duterte&#x27;s alleged &#x27;co-perpetrators&#x27;</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/icc-prosecution-victims-counsels-submit-merits-on-day-2-of-duterte-pre-trial-1657">ICC prosecutor cites &#x27;insider witness,&#x27; says &#x27;neutralize&#x27; on Dela Rosa&#x27;s 2016 PNP memo meant to &#x27;kill&#x27; </a></div>“The trauma and stigma are especially worse for the children of the murdered tokhang victims. Aside from losing a parent, the children as direct descendants of the murdered victims are usually avoided at school or even bullied as the children of &#x27;na-tokhang.&#x27; The children of the murdered tokhang victims have to endure bullying, stigma, trauma, depression and some even develop symptoms such as epilepsy,” Andres said.Since the victims are mostly the breadwinners of their families, who are mostly from low-income communities, their deaths would further make things worse for their surviving family members.“And because the murdered tokhang victims were usually the breadwinners of their families, their death meant that their surviving family members were pushed toward further poverty,” Andres said, adding that the victims’ deaths often cause extreme socio-economic dislocation for their families.“Thus, Mr. Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, aside from murdering victims from low-income communities, also brought about the breakdown of the families of the murdered victims,” Andres also said.Finally, because Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs usually targeted those from marginalized, vulnerable communities, Andres said it not a war against drugs, but more of a war against the poor.“As the targeted victims of Mr. Duterte’s drug war campaign were from marginalized, vulnerable communities, his drug war campaign was not really a war on drugs, it was a war against the poor,” he said.Years after the end of the Duterte administration, Andres said the families of the victims continue to suffer, with some of them still being watched by the direct perpetrators.“And the continued stigmatization of the indirect victims, the surviving family members, still persist until now. The children of the murdered victims are still suffering psychologically, mentally, and socio-economically,” he said.“And some surviving family members are being visited or watched by the direct perpetrators to check on them,” Andres added.Paolina Massidda, the principal counsel for the victims, earlier called on the ICC to confirm the charges against him, stressing that it is a step towards justice and healing. She also asserted that the evidence submitted by the prosecution has met the standard.“For the purpose of the confirmation of charges hearing, the prosecution must demonstrate substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte committed each of the crimes charged,&quot; Massidda said.&quot;The victims submit that the evidence presented by the prosecution meets this … standard,&quot; she added. &quot;The confirmation of all charges is not only legally warranted -- it is essential to the integrity of international criminal justice.&quot;<div> </div><div>COMPELLING EVIDENCE FROM PROSECUTION</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177194855846820260223-icc-duterte-counsel-paolina-massida-butuyan-andres-HO.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Paolina Massidda, Principal Counsel, ICC Office of Public Counsel for Victims together with Counsels for Victims Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres during the first session of the confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 23, 2026. ICC Handout" width="960"/>Paolina Massidda, Principal Counsel, ICC Office of Public Counsel for Victims together with Counsels for Victims Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres  during the first session of the confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 23, 2026. ICC Handout</div>In an interview with ABS-CBN News, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) president Atty. Ephraim Cortez said the prosecution was able to clearly establish the &quot;contextual elements&quot; of crimes against humanity and demonstrate the “nexus” between specific killings and what it described as a “common plan” attributed to Duterte.“Dito sa pangalawang araw, dito naipakita ‘yung lakas ng ebidensya ng prosecution to prove na dapat i-confirm ‘yung mga charges… Naipakita nila ‘yung link kay Duterte sa pamamagitan ng paglahad nung contextual elements ng crimes against humanity,” said Cortez.He noted that prosecutors not only summarized evidence supporting the charges but also detailed how the alleged crimes were “widespread and systematic.”“Widespread in a sense na bukod sa number ay buong parte ng Pilipinas ay may pagpatay,” he explained. “Systematic in the sense na hindi random ang pagpatay kundi may pre-selection at mayroong paglilista sa kanila at ino-operate sila na nagreresulta sa pagpatay.”Cortez also praised the “very strong” opening statement of victims’ counsel Atty. Gilbert Andres, adding that Andres is expected to vividly describe before the court the suffering, loss, and grievances experienced by relatives of those killed.“Very strong at napakaganda nung opening statement ni Atty. Andres at alam namin kung gaano ka-vivid ‘yung description nung counsel for the victims… Alam niya ‘yung kanilang mga naging karanasan. At mailalahad niya sa korte ang kalagayan, ang hinanakit, at ang kawalan na naramdaman nung mga kaanak ng biktima,” he said.The 80-year-old Duterte -- who will not be present for the duration of the pre-trial -- is facing three ICC counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.The on-going proceedings are not a trial but a &quot;confirmation of charges&quot; hearing, enabling judges to weigh whether to move ahead with a trial.Earlier in the day, the prosecution had alleged that Duterte personally drew up &quot;death lists&quot; and boasted about murders committed during his &quot;war on drugs,&quot; citing his own speeches and public statements.They also cited insider witnesses who revealed details of the &quot;common plan,&quot; which was initially implemented in Davao City when Duterte was mayor before being expanded at the national level upon his election as president.The court will take a one-day break on Wednesday before resuming on Thursday and Friday. Once the hearings wrap up Friday, the court will take up to 60 days to decide whether to proceed to a full trial, usually in a written judgement.<div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/duterte-drew-up-death-lists-boasted-about-murders-icc-prosecutor-1942">Duterte drew up &#x27;death lists&#x27;, boasted about murders: ICC prosecutor</a></div>Duterte&#x27;s defense lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, on Monday said his client &quot;maintained his innocence absolutely&quot;.He argued that while Duterte used &quot;bluster and hyperbole&quot; in his speeches, he also frequently ordered authorities only to shoot in self-defense.Kaufman will address the court on Thursday.Duterte’s defense team said he is weak and in cognitive decline. The prosecution and victims counter that he is healthy but does not want to face the loved-ones of victims.The court passed him fit to attend but granted his right to stay away. <div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/23/duterte-maintains-his-innocence-absolutely-says-kaufman-1949">&#x27;Give Tatay Digong back to Filipinos&#x27;: Defense urges dismissal of &#x27;politically-motivated charges&#x27;</a></div><div>-- with a report from Agence France-Presse; Mon Rodelas, ABS-CBN News</div>

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, by targetting those in low-income communities, was more of a “war against the poor”, the victims’ legal counsel told the International Criminal Court during the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, by targetting those in low-income communities, was more of a “war against the poor”, the victims’ legal counsel told the International Criminal Court during the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing.

Duterte’s war on drugs more of a ‘war against the poor’: victims’ lawyer

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Duterte’s war on drugs more of a ‘war against the poor’: victims’ lawyer

Rose Carmelle Lacuata,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 24, 2026 11:56 PM PHT

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Updated February 25, 2026 08:14 AM PHT

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Rodrigo Duterte

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