Philippine courts open for Duterte drug war cases

Philippine courts remain open for victims of the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte to file cases against him despite his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palace Press Officer and PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro stated that while the government has surrendered Duterte to the ICC, it does not intend to cooperate further with the court since the Philippines is no longer a state party to the Rome Statute.

The Philippine government made the historic decision of transferring Duterte to the Hague through Interpol on March 11, marking the first time a Filipino citizen will be tried at the ICC.

Over 6,200 drug suspects were killed during Duterte’s administration from June 2016 to November 2021, though human rights groups estimate the number to be around 30,000.

Castro clarified that while the government complied with legal requirements by surrendering Duterte to the ICC, it does not intend to cooperate further and will instead work with Interpol for any future requests.

The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in March 2019 and there are currently no discussions about rejoining.