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ICC - DUTERTE CONFIRMATION oif CHARGES- Day 2

Journalists and rights advocates watch a live broadcast of the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court, in relation to the crimes against humanity case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte, in Quezon City on February 24, 2026. The proceedings at The Hague evaluate whether the prosecution's evidence meets the "substantial grounds" to move the case to a formal trial.
Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Zen Hernandez

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/177198250767720260224-icc-day2-ph-livestream-JC0615.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Journalists and rights advocates watch a live broadcast of the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court, in relation to the crimes against humanity case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte, in Quezon City on February 24, 2026. The proceedings at The Hague evaluate whether the prosecution&#x27;s evidence meets the &quot;substantial grounds&quot; to move the case to a formal trial. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>Prosecutors and victims’ lawyers on Day 2 of the International Criminal Court confirmation of charges hearing sought to demonstrate what they described as a coordinated, nationwide killing campaign tied to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug operations, while underscoring the human toll on families.</p><p>Across three sessions, the prosecution focused on the legal elements of crimes against humanity, the alleged replication of the “Davao model” nationwide, and accounts from victims’ families. The Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) urged judges to confirm the charges, saying the evidence shows systematic harm to vulnerable communities.</p><p>Prosecution lawyer Edward Jeremy told Pre-Trial Chamber I that Duterte expanded his alleged Davao-era system after becoming president.</p><p>“As president Mr. Duterte expanded and replicated this Davao model across the Philippines, working together with many of the same people, his co-perpetrators, following the same plan and using the same methods.” </p><p>Jeremy said Duterte elevated key allies to senior government and police posts.</p><p>“On becoming president, Mr. Duterte appointed his co-perpetrators from Davao… to senior positions in the police and the government.”</p><p>Central to the prosecution theory was the term “neutralize.” Jeremy argued insider evidence shows the word meant killing.</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/wJmN8J5AxxY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>“Most of the time, the people on the list are killed. So basically the PRRD list is a dead list,” according to an insider witness that was quoted.</p><p>Prosecutors revisited the case of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who surrendered in 2016 but was later killed in jail.</p><p>They played a Duterte speech referring to the mayor. “Buti nakaabot siya dun kay Bato na, pinahanap ko na, shoot on site, parang aso…”</p><p>Jeremy told the court that when Espinosa was later killed in detention, “CCTV was disabled. Guns were planted in their cells. Rewards were paid.”</p><p>The prosecution argued the campaign disproportionately affected poor communities.</p><p>One witness said, “It was said that the ones that we had to do the Tokhang operation on had to be poor. Those who do not have the means to file a complaint or to complain.”</p><p>Jeremy also described an alleged pattern in police operations:</p><p>* targets identified through watch lists</p><p>* suspects killed in operations</p><p>* weapons and drugs planted</p><p>* reports framed as “nanlaban”</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/s6oea1oL2nk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>He said many police narratives were “copypaste reports in which victims were frequently blamed for their own deaths.”</p><div><a 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><p>Among the cases cited was the killing of Benjamin Vista in October 2016.</p><p> A witness recalled, “The victim was lying on the street in handcuffs and was dead. He&#x27;d been shot in the head seven or eight times.”</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/wIgJu9nh-0M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Prosecutors rejected the police self-defense claim. </p><p>“This narrative is false. Benjamin Vista did not fight back. He was murdered.”</p><p>They also referenced Duterte’s remarks after the Bulacan anti-drug raids. “32 in a massive raid maganda yun, makapatay lang tayo ng another 32 everyday…”</p><p>The prosecution again highlighted the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.</p><p>Jeremy said the usual police claim of nanlaban was contradicted by CCTV.</p><p>“As usual, the police claimed that Kian delos Santos shot at them… This account is contradicted by CCTV footage showing police dragging the child…”</p><p> He added the evidence shows the teenager, after pleading for his life, “was shot twice in the head.”</p><p>Prosecutors also cited two incidents in 2018 involving a child aged around 14 or 15 allegedly killed after being bound and strangled.</p><p>In Session 2, prosecution lawyer Robin Croft structured the case around the contextual elements of crimes against humanity.</p><p> First, she said the charged incidents are “representative and emblematic of a larger killing campaign.”</p><p>Croft pointed to multiple evidence streams, including datasets, insider witnesses, expert analysis and public reporting.</p><p>She presented mapping data showing at least 5,823 anti-drug killings recorded by an independent organization. </p><p>“The data shows that the attack during the presidential period was widespread… it occurred across the country… and thousands of civilians were killed.”</p><p>Croft also cited official figures: </p><p>* 3,967 deaths admitted in the government’s 2017 report</p><p>* 5,281 deaths reported by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency</p><p>Croft argued the killings followed a structured pattern.</p><p> “These killings were not random or coincidental. Quite the opposite. Targets were pre-identified, listed, and then subject to operations based on that list.” </p><p>He said police allegedly staged “nanlaban” scenarios and planted evidence to legitimize operations.</p><p>The prosecution named several alleged co-perpetrators and pointed to their public statements.</p><p>Croft said Duterte “indirectly co-perpetrated the crimes, ordered and/or induced the crimes and/or aided [and] abetted the crimes.”</p><p>She cited statements including one attributed to then police chief Ronald dela Rosa.</p><p> “Patayan talaga to sa drugs…”</p><p>An insider police witness also claimed performance pressure existed.</p><p>“We were told that there should be 5 to 10 deaths per month… if there were no deaths… he would be relieved of his duty.”</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/in_iOOoUOqs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Another senior officer reportedly said killings began “because of the directive of the president.”</p><p> In the latter part of Session 2 and continuing into Session 3, OPCV principal counsel Paolina Massidda urged judges to consider the human impact.</p><p>“We speak for families who cannot be here. Mothers who buried their sons. Children who lost their parents.”</p><p>She stressed victims are not mere statistics.</p><p>“These victims appear today before you not as mere statistics… but as human beings whose rights… have been violated in the most profound ways.” </p><p>Massidda said those targeted “overwhelmingly came from impoverished communities.”</p><p>She added many victims had little or no criminal history and were often accused only of minor drug involvement.</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/HhbYqhS0fMg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span> </div><p>Victims’ submissions described armed men entering homes and shootings occurring in front of relatives.</p><p>One widow recounted, “I could hear my husband begging for his life… Moments later, my husband was shot dead.”</p><p>Another mother described seeing police allegedly plant evidence.</p><p>“I saw one police officer placing four packets of shabu and a gun around the body of my son.”</p><p>Massidda said the accounts corroborate the prosecution&#x27;s theory.</p><p>“The crimes they suffer were not spontaneous or isolated acts of violence, but rather a… directed and organized attack against them.”</p><p>She also cited police admissions of more than 6,200 deaths, while noting higher estimates from other bodies.</p><div><br/></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/oj3nI1KSFBA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Prosecutors and victims’ lawyers on Day 2 of the International Criminal Court confirmation of charges hearing sought to demonstrate what they described as a coordinated, nationwide killing campaign tied to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug operations.</p>

Prosecutors and victims’ lawyers on Day 2 of the International Criminal Court confirmation of charges hearing sought to demonstrate what they described as a coordinated, nationwide killing campaign tied to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug operations.

ICC Hearing Day 2: Duterte 'dead list', high-profile drug war kills and co-perps' common plan

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ICC Hearing Day 2: Duterte 'dead list', high-profile drug war kills and co-perps' common plan

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 25, 2026 09:22 AM PHT

|

Updated February 25, 2026 10:55 AM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

Nicholas Kaufman

ICC

Pre-Trial Chamber

confirmation of charges

Appeals Chamber

War on Drugs

Crimes Against Humanity

tokhang

EJK

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