After months of delays and nearly a decade of waiting for justice, the confirmation of charges hearing against Duterte on crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) finally pushed through from February 23 to 27, 2026. The trial exposed before the world the fascist crimes of the Philippine reactionary state.
The Filipino people, especially the families of victims of Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs” closely followed the hearings, marking a long-awaited step toward justice for thousands who lost their loved ones under Duterte’s bloody campaign.
“The Duterte ICC trial lays bare the fascist character of the Philippine reactionary state, its systematic repression of the poor and revolutionary forces, and the continuity of terror under Marcos Jr.,” said Compatriots-NDF-Netherlands in a statement.
Led by the Duterte Panagutin Network, a protest was held outside the ICC in The Hague on the first day of the hearings. Participants included progressive groups based in the Netherlands, victims of the drug war, their supporters, and lawyers. In the Philippines, pre-hearing acts of remembrance and resistance took place: candle-lighting and a mass at Malate Church, forums and protests at UP Diliman, and live-stream viewings across Cebu City.
The hearings confirmed the deadly consequences of Duterte’s words and policies. Every time he called for killings, bodies followed. His promises of impunity to police and vigilantes were enforced through the state machinery the courts, state-media, top to bottom government units and agencies, the political bureaucracy. etc.
Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed in 2017, attended the hearings in The Hague. According to Pasco, “Ang mga salita niya ang pumatay sa aming mga mahal sa buhay. Paulit-ulit niyang ipinag-utos na ubusin ang mga adik, at pinangakuan ng proteksyon ang mga pulis na sangkot sa mga pagpaslang.”
(His words killed our loved ones. He repeatedly ordered the wiping out of drug addicts, and he promised protection to the police involved in the killings.)
Sheerah Escudero, whose brother Ephraim was killed, showed reporters a photo of him: his body discovered on the street, his head wrapped in packing tape. Leading up to the hearings, she and other victims of Duterte’s drug war endured online harassment and threats.
The hearings also exposed the continuity of fascist repression under Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. Human rights groups warn that killings, red-tagging, harassment of activists, and the trampling of IHL in the suppression of the revolutionary movement continue today as it did during Duterte’s time.
Under Duterte, several peace consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines were targeted and killed by the reactionary regime. Among them were Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis who was murdered in his apartment in August 2020, Randy Malayao who was gunned down while asleep on a bus in 2019, as well as Eugenia Magpantay and Agaton Topacio, elderly NDFP negotiators who were killed on November 2020 in a police operation at their house in Angono, Rizal.
Human rights organizations and lawyers urged the ICC to confirm the charges so that the trial could proceed. They condemned Duterte’s repeated but failed attempts to delayand derailthrough motions and petitions both the confirmation hearing and the trial itself.
Compatriots-NDF Netherlands asserted that “the ICC trial of Rodrigo Duterte is a significant victory for the Filipino people. It stands as a testament to the relentless struggle of the Filipino masses and the broad democratic forces who refused to allow the thousands killed under the so-called ‘war on drugs’ to be forgotten. The proceedings have also exposed before the world the systematic nature of the killings carried out during Duterte’s rule. The evidence showed that the killings were part of a broader policy that targeted the poor and were used to suppress all forms of dissent.”
Compatriots-NDF also emphasized that “the hearings at the ICC also demonstrated that a significant section of the Filipino diaspora stands firmly against the tyrannical rule of despots like Duterte, and of fascist leaders like Marcos Jr.”
The Pre-Trial Chamber 1 judges are expected to issue their decision on whether to proceed to trial within 60 days, or by the end of April 2026. If confirmed, the trial could begin towards the end of the year.