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Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
February 26, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Families of victims of the Duterte administration’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs were among those who participated in yesterday’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, in his homily at the EDSA Shrine last night, also urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) “to bring to justice murderers of drug users, who also murdered our national virtues and values.”
“Help us restore justice and order in this land that has lost its virtues,” Villegas said.
The ICC is currently hearing confirmation of charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte, some of the victims’ relatives joined human rights advocates in the commemoration.
The ICC scheduled a mid-week break in the hearing in consideration of Duterte, who was allowed to skip the pre-trial proceedings.
In Quezon City, members of the Rise Up for Life and for Rights – a network supporting drug war victims and their families – joined the EDSA40 activity at the EDSA Shrine.
“The commemoration of EDSA@40 today is historic and significant for the families of victims of the war on drugs, as it coincides with the ongoing confirmation of charges hearing on the crimes against humanity case against former president Duterte being held in The Hague, Netherlands,” it said in Filipino.
Request bucked
“These days are especially significant for the families of those who were killed under the sham ‘war on drugs’ of former president Duterte. Once again, they affirm the power of collective action by human rights advocates and the families of the victims who, despite fear, anxiety and hardship, chose to stand up, fight for justice and hold Duterte accountable,” it added.
As this developed, the ICC prosecutor of has opposed the request of the former president to skip his scheduled detention hearing tomorrow.
“Mr. Duterte has yet to appear physically in the courtroom, a fact which he has repeatedly complained about,” ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said in a six-page filing dated Feb. 23.
“In line with the defense’s submissions regarding the importance of the publicity of the confirmation hearing, it is important that the public, and in particular the many victims of the alleged crimes, be able to view Mr. Duterte while he defends against the crimes he has been charged with,” he added.
Duterte earlier asked the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I to waive his attendance at the annual review of his detention.
It was scheduled at 2 p.m. tomorrow in The Hague (9 p.m. in Manila), immediately after the closing statements for the confirmation hearings.
“My counsel has explained to me the legal consequences emanating from such a waiver and I trust him and my ICC legal team to represent me faithfully,” read the waiver signed by the former president.
“I do not wish to follow this hearing from outside the courtroom through the use of communications technology,” he added.
Under ICC’s rules, the Pre-Trial Chamber is required to hold a hearing on pre-trial detention at least once every year.
In its objection, the ICC prosecutor said the importance of the former president’s appearance “is especially true in a case where there has been significant misinformation regarding the proceedings and Mr. Duterte’s well-being.”
“The Chamber has provided a special sitting schedule to accommodate Mr. Duterte’s participation in the pre-trial proceedings,” Niang noted.
The pre-trial chamber earlier allowed Duterte to skip this week’s confirmation hearings.
The former president was represented by his legal team led by defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman.
In the same filing, the ICC prosecutor also reiterated that witnesses must remain confidential.
Niang urged the chamber to reject the defense’s request for information about the witnesses.
“It is essential for the safety of these witnesses… that their cooperation with the prosecution remain confidential,” he added.
The prosecution, he said, “is under no obligation to ‘declare’ information about the availability of witnesses for trial.”
“The prosecution confirms that it is confident that should the charges be confirmed, it will present ample evidence at trial to convict Mr. Duterte,” Niang added.
Follow the Charter
Reacting to developments at the ICC, Sen. Bong Go called on the government to ensure strict adherence to the Constitution and due process before any Filipino is surrendered to a foreign jurisdiction, as he manifested support for Senate Resolution 307, expressing the sense of the Senate to protect Filipinos against extraordinary rendition.
“The very core of this resolution is a simple but powerful principle: no Filipino should be deprived of liberty without due process of law. This is not merely a legal or procedural technicality, but a constitutional guarantee enshrined in our fundamental law,” Go said before the plenary on Tuesday.
Go explained that the resolution, which he co-sponsored, is not intended to benefit any specific individual but is meant to reaffirm equality before the law.
“It is not a shield for the powerful, nor is it a refuge for the guilty. It is a reaffirmation that every Filipino, ordinary citizen or public official, stands equal before the law and under its protection,” Go said. — EJ Macababbad
