Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Carmelle Lacuata

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17798739926481779873984859.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>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. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA — The Office of the Prosecutor and the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said they want the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte to start within the year.On Wednesday’s first status conference, where Trial Chamber III opened the discussion for several issues regarding the trial, Presiding Judge Joanna Korner allowed the parties to explain their proposal, noting that there were several dates mentioned.The Prosecution proposes a November 30 start for the trial, while the OPCV wants the trial to start in September.The Registry said it would want a later date, January 2027, since it has yet to train language interpreters.The Defense team did not give any preferred date, saying only that it does not seem that &quot;the start of the trial could not be this year&quot; based on previous trials.In explaining the November 30 start of the trial, Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls said they need time to finish and fulfill all the tasks they need to do before the start of the trial.“We’ve taken a hard look at the eleven tasks in Paragraph 5 that we need to fulfill in a reasonable time before the start of trial, and so in picking the September 30 date, that was not random, that was made in the spirit of efficiency, expedition that you’ve highlighted,” he said.“We believe that is a date that we can meet, that will not be easy to meet, it will require us to work hard and efficiently... but we really do think we need that time in order to accomplish all those different things, different tasks that we need to do,” Nicholls added.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/27/icc-chamber-urges-parties-in-duterte-trial-to-streamline-evidence-1714">ICC chamber urges parties in Duterte trial to streamline evidence </a></div>In response, Duterte’s new lead counsel Peter Haynes said that there should be at least three months between the deadline for the submission of disclosures and the actual start of the trial, so if the Prosecution hopes to submit everything by September 30, then the trial would start by December 30.“So if the Prosecution’s aspirations are to conclude that and its other tasks by the end of September, than that would mitigate in favor of a start date in the middle of Christmas vacation, the 30th of December, which would be three months later... so that would all tend to suggest that the start of the trial couldn’t be this year,” he explained.Nonetheless, Haynes said they will be ready whenever the Court decides on a date.“We will be ready for whenever you want it to start, but our anxiety is that would not be a date that would leave us perhaps one or two months after the end of the Prosecution’s disclosure,” he added.Korner, for her part, said Duterte’s health is a primary reason why the Chamber wants to start the trial as soon as possible.“But there are pressing reasons which mandate that we really should start this trial as soon as possible, which is basically the health of your client,” she said.“If the start date is going to be this year, then Mr. Nicholls and his team are going to have to do a little better,” Haynes said in reply.<div> </div><div>&#x27;2027 START TOO LONG FOR VICTIMS&#x27;</div>For the OPCV, they would want to start the trial tomorrow if they have a choice, but Paolina Massidda said the victims are amenable to a November 30 start, with January 2027 considered “too long”.“After the submission of the parties, we will have further consultation with our clients, they are amenable to start this trial, 30th of November seems to them, at the moment, still a reasonable period of time. January 2027 — no. For them it’s too long,” she said.The Registry, for its part, said they need more time to look for interpreters for the victims, especially after they were informed that aside from English, the witnesses will be speaking in two other Filipino languages.“Today we have a number of witnesses for which we know that they will testify in English. We have been warned that there will be witnesses who will be speaking in two other languages, languages of the Philippines. So we need to find if possible interpreters who could speak these two languages. That’s very important for us,” Marc Dubuisson said told the Chamber.“To date, we do not have knowledge of who these witnesses are,” he added, noting they would also have to train the interpreters.Aside from the start date of the trial, other issues such as the anticipated evidence, and Rule 68 procedures, which allow the use of prior recorded testimony under specific safeguards, are expected to be discussed during the status conference.<div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/27/start-of-duterte-trial-on-agenda-of-icc-status-conference-1614">Start of Duterte trial on agenda of ICC status conference</a></div>Duterte did not attend the status conference, after his legal team officially filed a public notification of his signed waiver before ICC Trial Chamber III on Monday, May 25. The notification was formally communicated to the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry under case number ICC-01/21-01/25, which handles the ongoing situation in the Republic of the Philippines.

The Office of the Prosecutor and the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims of the International Criminal Court (ICC) explained the basis for their proposed date of the start of trial for the case of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

The Office of the Prosecutor and the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims of the International Criminal Court (ICC) explained the basis for their proposed date of the start of trial for the case of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Prosecution, Public Counsel for Victims want Duterte ICC trial to start in 2026

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Prosecution, Public Counsel for Victims want Duterte ICC trial to start in 2026

Rose Carmelle Lacuata,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 27, 2026 05:28 PM PHT

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International Criminal Court

Rodrigo Duterte

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