Camille Naredo

Protestors, rallying in support of the detention of former Philippine's president Rodrigo Duterte, hold a placard which reads as "Hold Duterte accountable now" outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be questioned by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, in The Hague on February 23, 2026. Simon Wohlfahrt, AFP

Protestors, rallying in support of the detention of former Philippine's president Rodrigo Duterte, hold a placard which reads as "Hold Duterte accountable now" outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be questioned by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, in The Hague on February 23, 2026.

Article (news)

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- As the International Criminal Court (ICC) concluded four days of confirmation of charges hearings against former President Rodrigo Duterte, reactions from victims’ families and their lawyers revealed not only the legal stakes of the case but also the intense human and technical drama unfolding inside the courtroom. For Filipino lawyers representing the victims, the proceedings carried historic weight. “I feel this is a sacred duty and a solemn duty because it’s representing victims and then we also feel the weight of history because we know this might be the first appearance of a Filipino lawyer before the ICC” said victims’ counsel Atty. Gilbert Andres. His co-counsel, Atty. Joel Butuyan, described the hearings as part of a broader moral struggle. “Napakalaking karangalan na naging instrumento kami para iparating yung matagal nang hinaing nung ating mga kababayan…Meron talaga tayong common thread of humanity…yung right to life,” Butuyan said.<div> </div><div>FAMILIES RELIVE TRAUMA IN THE HAGUE</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772371883131AFP__20260223__98L77LY__v1__HighRes__NetherlandsPhilippinesIccPoliticsJusticeDemo _EMBED.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Protestors, rallying in support of the detention of former Philippine&#x27;s president Rodrigo Duterte, hold a placard which reads as &quot;Hold Duterte accountable now&quot; outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be questioned by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, in The Hague on February 23, 2026. Simon Wohlfahrt, AFP" width="960"/>Protestors, rallying in support of the detention of former Philippine&#x27;s president Rodrigo Duterte, hold a placard which reads as &quot;Hold Duterte accountable now&quot; outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be questioned by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, in The Hague on February 23, 2026. Simon Wohlfahrt, AFP</div>Inside the public gallery, the legal arguments triggered painful memories for relatives of those killed in the anti-drug campaign. <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>This was especially true for “Rosa,” whose husband was shot dead in front of her and her children inside their Quezon City home in 2017, and was one of the incidents mentioned during the presentation of the common legal representative for victims, Atty. Joel Butuyan. “Umiyak ako non…pinipigil pero hindi ko siya talaga mapigilan…Ang kinuha nila is Tatay…naging tatay ako, naging nanay para sa pamilya ko,” she said. Another relative, “Grace,” who lost both her father and brother in 2016, said the hearings reopened deep wounds. Her father was also shot dead inside their home in front of her and four other siblings. Three of her brothers were also taken by several unidentified men, with two ending up in a cell and one found dead the following day, with hands and feet bound by packaging tape and signs of torture all over his body. “Pinipigilan ko yung iyak ko pero tumutulo siya nang tumutulo kasi nasasaktan ako… So yung pakiramdam noong 2016 nung nangyaring patayan bumalik ‘yon sa kin nung first day hindi lang dahil sa narinig ko, kundi yung pakiramdam na ngayong araw parang gusto mong sumigaw, gusto mong sabihing galit ka pero hindi pwede, hindi ka pwedeng maglabas o gumawa ng malaking aksyon sa loob ng korte,” Grace said. But unlike the pain she felt in 2016, the pain now is intermingled with relief and hope. “Nangingilabot ako nung unang nagsalita si Atty. Joel. Kasi habang pumipikit ako, ninanamnam ko…yung storya namin nandito na talaga, napapakinggan na ng lahat ng buong mundo sa ICC…Tama yung pinili naming abugado na Pilipino ang tumayo sa&#x27;min. Kasi ang Pilipino, hindi lang kami naiintindihan sa lenggwahe, naiintindihan kami by heart,” she said. <div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/27/duterte-rejection-of-icc-jurisdiction-cited-as-ground-for-continued-detention-2333">Duterte rejection of ICC jurisdiction cited as ground for continued detention </a> </div>For “Lee,” who lost her three-year-old child and live-in partner during an operation in Rizal, the trip to The Hague was itself an act of defiance. The incident, which happened on June 29, 2019, is outside the temporal jurisdiction of the ICC, which looks into cases between November 2011 and March 2019, when the Philippines was still a state party to the Rome Statute. But “Lee” believes it is important for her to be in court. “Biktima pa rin kami. Kasama pa rin sila sa numero,” she said. “Bilang ina parang ang sakit naman pakinggan na marinig na maging collateral damage na lang yung anak ko. Ayon po yon, balewala na lang po yon, yung buhay ng tatlong taong gulang na bata?” For Filipino lawyers Butuyan and co-counsel Atty. Gilbert Andres, the ICC case against the former president is not just a legal battle. “I feel this is a sacred duty and a solemn because it’s representing victims and then we also feel the weight of history because we know this might be the first appearance of a Filipino lawyer before the ICC,” Andres said. “Napakalaking karangalan no na naging instrumento kami para iparating yung matagal nang hinaing nung ating mga kababayan,” said Butuyan. <div> </div><div>INSIDE THE COURTROOM:  RAPID FIRE REDACTIONS </div>Beyond the emotional testimonies, the victims’ lawyers also offered a rare glimpse into the ICC’s highly technical courtroom operations, particularly the real-time redaction process that repeatedly interrupted public feeds of the hearing. Butuyan described the process as happening simultaneously while lawyers spoke. “Habang nangyayari yung hearing, habang may nagsasalita, yung transcript na sinasabi lumalabas sa screen naming lahat. Chine-check ng prosecution and dapat sa amin, kung ano yung kailangang i-redact o kailangang gawing confidential,” he explained.“And right then and there, nage-email sa court yung isang team member ng prosecution and ng victims’ counsel na nag-mo-move to redact yung certain words that were said or certain data that were said. And in a few minutes, or less than a minute, may ruling yung chamber na granting the redaction. So talagang ang daming nangyayaring behind the scenes.” Andres confirmed that the court operates in a fully digital environment. “Paperless, so talagang electronic court siya, walang papel papel,” he said, citing the tribunal’s efficiency. The lawyers noted that the frequent audio cuts and livestream delays observed by viewers were part of witness protection measures, not technical glitches.“Simultaneous lahat,” Butuyan said of the monitoring and redaction process.<div> </div><div>VICTIMS&#x27; CAMP EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772371989021022226_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"/>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</div>Paolina Massida of the ICC Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV), who also serves as common legal representative for victims together with Butuyan and Andres, expressed a hopeful but measured confidence in the case. <div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/27/-we-will-not-stop-until-there-is-justice-drug-war-victims-kin-hold-vigil-amid-duterte-hearing-2209">&#x27;We will not stop until there is justice&#x27;: Drug war victims’ families hold emotional vigil amid Duterte hearing </a> </div>“Well, the victims are confident because we have seen what is in the record of a case. So we think that we can be confident. Of course, we cannot say it will be confirmed 100%. That&#x27;s not what we are saying because this is a judicial decision. But we think that the evidence is enough at this juncture to commit Mr. Duterte to trial,” Massida said. Massida’s remarks came after Duterte’s lead counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, repeatedly questioned the strength of the prosecution’s case, including the so-called “nanlaban” incidents and allegations involving child victims. In response, Massida said the victims’ lawyers had already addressed these issues during their presentation. She stressed that the pattern of killings presented before the court points to something more organized. “We made very clear from where these worries come in, why certain specific categories of people were targeted. And we showed that actually there is evidence in the record of a case supporting that these specific categories of people were targeted…and it was not a spontaneous act, but it was a repetition. It was common. It was frequent,” she explained. But families of those killed in the Philippines’ anti-drug campaign voiced strong confidence that the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte will move forward, even as judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) deliberate on whether to confirm the charges. Despite the trauma, “Rosa” said her presence at the ICC proceedings gave meaning to her long fight. “Sobrang halaga po sa kin kasi mismong ikaw mismo ang makakarinig at marerepresent mo rin yung mga pamilyang nawalan ng pamilya,” she said. She expressed firm belief in the strength of the case: “100 percent po na mananalo kami.” “Lee” also echoed “Rosa’s” confidence in the charges. <div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/28/duterte-s-defense-grasping-at-straws-victims-camp-says-as-icc-confirmation-hearing-concludes-1204">Duterte’s defense ‘grasping at straws’, victims’ camp says as ICC confirmation hearing concludes </a></div> “Mananalo ‘to. Katulad po ng sinabi ko nandito kami para manindigan para umaasa talaga na magkaroon ng hustisya. Pero hindi rin po natatapos dun eh kasi gusto namin yung mga kasama niya, yung mga perpetrators, managot din po,” Lee said. Under ICC rules, Pre-Trial Chamber I has up to 60 days from the end of hearings to decide whether there are substantial grounds to send the case to full trial. For families who have waited years, the moment carries enormous weight.“Ito na yung panahon ng paghanap ng pananagutan kung sino ba dapat managot. Hindi kami habang buhay na iiyak para humingi ng katarungan. Dapat kaming lumaban,” Grace said. Whether the case proceeds now lies in the hands of the judges—but for many victims watching from The Hague, the fight for justice is far from over.<div> </div>

As the ICC concluded four days of confirmation of charges hearings against former President Rodrigo Duterte, reactions from victims’ families and their lawyers revealed not only the legal stakes of the case but also the intense human and technical drama unfolding inside the courtroom.

As the ICC concluded four days of confirmation of charges hearings against former President Rodrigo Duterte, reactions from victims’ families and their lawyers revealed not only the legal stakes of the case but also the intense human and technical drama unfolding inside the courtroom.

Victims, lawyers share emotional moments behind the scenes, high-tech proceedings at ICC

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Victims, lawyers share emotional moments behind the scenes, high-tech proceedings at ICC

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 01, 2026 09:38 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

Nicholas Kaufman

ICC

Pre-Trial Chamber

confirmation of charges

Appeals Chamber

War on Drugs

Crimes Against Humanity

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EJK

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