Try
Can a head of state be held accountable not only for what he did, but also for what he said? In the end, it may not be a secret memo or a taped call that will bring down “the Punisher,” but the echo of his own voice.
A viral photo making rounds online claims to show relatives of drug war victims and a human rights defender carrying luxurious handbags. This is edited.
Prosecutors played video clips and cited transcripts of Duterte’s speeches in which he issued his “kill, kill” orders, promised to shield police from prosecution and assured them they would not go to jail for actions taken in the drug war.
A viral video claiming VP Sara Duterte is "starting to hide" like Bato Dela Rosa is misleading. Last Feb. 18, she launched her presidential bid in the 2028 elections.
Lawyer Joel Butuyan's delivery of his opening remarks was interrupted to observe the ICC's mandatory 30-minute break between the first and second sessions of the Feb. 23 hearing.
Joel Butuyan: Truth is the antidote to the virus of impunity, Your Honors. The victims dread a future where charges are not confirmed. It will mean that the virus of impunity will continue to spread and infect many more.
A YouTube video is claiming that former president Rodrigo Duterte will be released early from detention under the International Criminal Court after the Supreme Court dismissed a case against him. This is false.
Is Duterte too frail to remember, or simply too defiant to face the music? Even his own prosecutor has described him as an “unreliable historian” of his health. He adjusts the story as needed. The “sickly” act is a shield , one that spares him the gaze of mothers and children who lost loved ones in the drug war, some of whom have traveled to The Hague seeking justice. By remaining in his cell, he preserves the tough-guy image for supporters back home.
Update Feb. 20, 2026: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 allows Duterte to skip confirmation hearings next week.“The Chamber, while acknowledging the objections of the Prosecution and the CLRV, considers that, in the present circumstances of the case, it is appropriate to proceed with the hearing on the confirmation of charges in the absence of Mr Duterte.”
As secretary of Justice, Aguirre announced that “The criminals, the drug lords, drug pushers, they are not humanity. They are not humanity.”
