Camille Naredo

A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File


A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Philippine ex-president Rodrigo Duterte was expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court on March 14, to face crimes against humanity charges over his deadly narcotics crackdown. The 79-year-old was set to appear before judges for a short hearing where he is to be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

Article (news)

Eon Sanchez

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/1788563654628AFP__20250314__372B2JW__v1__MidRes__NetherlandsPhilippinesJustice.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">A man holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he will be appearing, in The Hague on March 14, 2025. <em>Nicolas Tucat, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA &mdash; The defense team of former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to amend its electronic court protocol, warning that the growing volume of evidence risks flooding the case with unreliable and irrelevant material.</p><p>In a filing dated Sept. 3, 2026, the defense said the prosecution has significantly increased its evidence disclosures, raising concerns over both the quantity and quality of materials submitted ahead of trial. From around 5,000 items before the confirmation stage, the number has surged to more than 25,000, with additional data still expected.</p><p>The document forms part of the proceedings under the ICC case involving Duterte, where he faces allegations linked to his administration&#39;s anti-drug campaign.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>CONCERNS OVER DIGITAL EVIDENCE</strong></div><p>The defense argued that much of the evidence includes open-source and user-generated material, which may be difficult to verify due to questions regarding authenticity, origin, and reliability.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/duterte-defense-urges-icc-to-strike-out-vague-charges-order-precise-filing-0916">READ: Citing &#39;right to a fair trial&#39;, Duterte defense urges ICC to strike out vague charges, order precise filing</a></div><p>It noted that simply attaching a URL to a piece of evidence&mdash;an approach proposed by the prosecution&mdash;is insufficient to establish credibility.</p><p>&quot;Despite supporting the addition of a new &#39;URL&#39; field as an amendment to the E-Court Protocol, the Defence once again emphasizes that this is insufficient information upon which to assess an item&#39;s authenticity or reliability. The URL merely records the web location from which a piece of online content was collected; it cannot indicate its source,&quot; the filing said, stressing that it does not confirm who created the content, whether it has been altered, or how it was collected and preserved.</p><p>The defense noted the issue is compounded by the digital environment surrounding the case, particularly in the Philippines, where millions of users actively engage online. According to the filing, the volume of online discussions and content related to the case is unprecedented for ICC proceedings.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>PROPOSED &quot;EXPERT VERIFICATION&quot; REQUIREMENT</strong></div><p>To address these concerns, the defense is seeking the addition of an &quot;Expert Verification&quot; field in the ICC&#39;s E-Court Protocol.</p><p>This proposed field would indicate whether a piece of evidence is backed by an expert report verifying its authenticity. The defense said such reports should include key details, including the source of the material, chain of custody, metadata, and steps taken to detect possible manipulation.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/icc-prosecutors-submit-final-list-of-witnesses-evidence-ahead-of-duterte-trial-on-nov-30-0754">READ: ICC prosecutors submit final list of witnesses, evidence ahead of Duterte trial on Nov. 30</a></div><p>The proposed amendment comes after parties agreed to include a &quot;URL&quot; metadata field in the system, but failed to reach a consensus on the expert verification requirement.</p><p>The defense also raised alarm over the risk of misinformation and manipulated content entering the court record, especially with the use of platforms like OTPLink, which allows individuals to submit evidence directly to prosecutors&mdash;even anonymously.</p><p>It cited figures showing hundreds of thousands of files submitted through the platform in recent years, warning that without stricter verification, falsified or misleading materials could be introduced into the case.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>RELIEF SOUGHT</strong></div><p>Ultimately, the defense is asking ICC Trial Chamber III to order the amendment of the E-Court Protocol to include the proposed verification mechanism before the trial begins.</p><p>&quot;On the basis of the above submissions, the Defence respectfully requests the Trial Chamber to order an amendment to the E-Court Protocol to add an &#39;Expert Verification&#39; field as outlined above,&quot; the filing said.</p><p>The chamber had earlier emphasized the need to avoid &quot;unnecessary and irrelevant evidence&quot; being included in the record, a concern echoed by the defense in its latest filing.</p><p>The ICC has yet to rule on the request.</p><p>Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity for murder and attempted murder linked to his administration&#39;s anti-illegal drugs campaign. The charges cover operations carried out during his tenure as Mayor of Davao City (2013&ndash;2016) and as President of the Philippines (2016&ndash;2018).</p>

<p>The defense team of former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has asked the International Criminal Court to amend its electronic court protocol, warning that the growing volume of evidence risks flooding the case with unreliable and irrelevant material.</p>

The defense team of former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has asked the International Criminal Court to amend its electronic court protocol, warning that the growing volume of evidence risks flooding the case with unreliable and irrelevant material.

Duterte lawyer asks ICC to screen digital evidence before Nov 30 trial

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Duterte lawyer asks ICC to screen digital evidence before Nov 30 trial

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 05, 2026 07:22 AM PHT

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Rodrigo Duterte

International Criminal Court

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war on drugs

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