Former president Rodrigo Duterte has hired a new lawyer to represent him in his trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague to replace Nicholas Kaufman, who led his defense team during the pre-trial proceedings. The identity of the new lawyer, however, was redacted in the ICC documents.

But it would be foolhardy to presume that positive developments such as the case of Carandang spells the end of the Dutertes’ malevolent empire.As more information emerges to support and explain the entries in the Dutertes’ bank accounts, a sprawling, multi-layered network comes into view—one they will fight to protect.That makes the 2028 elections all the more crucial.

Habang patuloy ang pagdinig sa kaso ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa International Criminal Court, naglipana naman sa Facebook ang mga maling naratibong santo na umano ang naturang 17-anyos na biktima ng extrajudicial killings noong panahon ng drug war.