Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman during the first session of the confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 23, 2026. ICC Handout

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

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/177216084801420260223-icc-duterte-defense-nicholas-kaufman-HO-2_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman during the first session of the confirmation of charges hearings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 23, 2026. ICC Handout</span></span></span></div><p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Filipino legal team is convinced that the prosecution panel’s crimes against humanity allegations have been “shattered into pieces” after lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman’s manifestations on Thursday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/27/victims-always-central-to-icc-case-but-duterte-still-wrongly-charged-kaufman-0645">Victims &#x27;always central&#x27; to ICC case but Duterte still &#x27;wrongly charged&#x27;: Kaufman</a></div><p>On the third day of Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing in the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kaufman asserted that there was no direct link between Duterte and the wanton killings in the Philippines, and that the number of deaths amounted to only about 3 percent of those arrested.</p><p>“The prosecution’s theory has been shattered to pieces… because the very testimonial evidence, the documentary evidence presented by the prosecution have been thoroughly rebutted,” former Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo told reporters.</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/ODROar1o5sg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>“Atty. Kaufman made a thorough job on this case. He made thorough research. He read all the speeches, he went over all the documents kaya madali niyang ma-rebut lahat ng mga alegasyon ng kabila,” he said.</p><p>“The prosecution will say maganda yung kanilang presentasyon but they are entitled to their imagined satisfaction of their presentation… In short, bagsak sila,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;FLIMSY&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>But human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares — who has been lawyering for drug war victims in the Philippines — rejected Panelo’s claim, saying that defense panel’s arguments are flimsy.</p><p>“Sabi nila wala namang common plan, hindi naman nagkita ang mga yun para mag-usap at mag-agree, mashashatter ba ang prosekyusyon? Hindi kasi wala naman requirement na mag-meeting meeting yung walong co-perpetrators at si Duterte para ipakita na may common plan,” Colmenares said.</p><p>“It was an order, there was public vilification of targets. There was an execution of targets in broad daylight with many witness in public plazas and markets as if the perpetrators were never afraid at all of the police,” he said.</p><p>Duterte’s camp is “not successful” in its bid to chip away at the prosecution and victims’ counsels presentation, ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti said.</p><p>“Kumbaga may kaunti kayong natatanggal na kaunting bakbak ng pintura, pero ito yung tipo na pwede mong i-white out o lagyan ng chalk so okay pa,” she told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>“Pero yung tatanggalin mo yung pintura, nilagyan mo ng paint stripper? Wala pa akong nakikitang ganoon kasi madaling i-debunk yung mga prinisent niya,” she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;MINALIIT ANG AMING PAGKATAO&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>But for Llore Pasco, who lost her two sons to the drug war in 2017, it was wrong for the defense to trivialize their grief of losing family members.</p><p>“Nakikita po namin na talagang minaliit po ang aming pagkatao. Ni walang halaga ‘yung aming mga mahal sa buhay, number lang,” Pasco said.</p><p>“Hindi binigyang halaga yung aming paghihirap, yung aming pagdurusa.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/27/kaufman-to-icc-judges-no-smoking-gun-no-common-plan-nor-criminal-intent-0700">Kaufman to ICC judges: No &#x27;smoking gun,&#x27; no &#x27;common plan&#x27; nor criminal intent</a></div><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/9crX6E8kjRo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>In a chance interview after the proceedings, Kaufman said that he “felt for the old lady in the gallery who was crying.”</p><p>“I’m a human being, we’re all human beings and I don’t make light of her grief,” he said.</p><p>“Having said that, I have a job to do and my job is to defend somebody who I believe has been wrongly charged.”</p><p>The lead Defense counsel declined to comment if he is confident that he convinced the Pre-Trial Chamber I that there were insufficient evidence against the former President.</p><p>“I’m not gonna give you points, I’m not gonna give points to the prosecution or the victims or even to myself,” the British-Israeli lawyer said.</p><p>“We must wait until tomorrow and see what happens. One more day.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/27/victims-always-central-to-icc-case-but-duterte-still-wrongly-charged-kaufman-0645">Victims &#x27;always central&#x27; to ICC case but Duterte still &#x27;wrongly charged&#x27;: Kaufman</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yMj8HMSmIwA?si=NKkFMr0rxmTx8A28" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Filipino legal team is convinced that the prosecution panel’s crimes against humanity allegations have been “shattered into pieces” after lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman’s manifestations on Thursday.</p>

Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Filipino legal team is convinced that the prosecution panel’s crimes against humanity allegations have been “shattered into pieces” after lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman’s manifestations on Thursday.

ICC case vs Duterte ‘shattered into pieces’ after Kaufman presentation—Panelo

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ICC case vs Duterte ‘shattered into pieces’ after Kaufman presentation—Panelo

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 27, 2026 10:58 AM PHT

Read More:

Salvador Panelo

Rodrigo Duterte

International Criminal Court

ICC

crimes against humanity

drug war

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