By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – Malacañang said on Thursday that former president Rodrigo Duterte appeared to be in “good condition” during his first in-person appearance at an International Criminal Court (ICC) status conference.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Duterte appeared to have accepted the continuation of ICC proceedings on crimes against humanity charges related to his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs in the Philippines.
“Unang-una sa mga kababayan natin, nakita naman po natin na maganda naman po ang kalagayan ng ating dating Pangulo na si dating Pangulong Duterte (First of all, our fellow Filipinos, we have seen that the condition of former president Duterte is quite good),” Castro said.
“At nakita naman namin na mukhang accepted naman niya po na magtuloy-tuloy ang hearing sa ICC (We also saw that he seems to have accepted that the proceedings at the ICC will continue).”
Duterte, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, attended Wednesday’s third status conference of the ICC Trial Chamber III on the crimes against humanity charges related to his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
He was the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC.
Duterte was last seen in March 2025, when he was arrested by Philippine authorities and later surrendered to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
During the status conference, Presiding Judge Joanna Korner asked the prosecution to consider reducing the number of its witnesses and its current 15,000 items of evidence, citing the need to “conclude the case as quickly as possible.”
The ICC trial is set to begin on Nov. 30, focusing on alleged killings associated with Duterte’s drug war during his presidency.
Duterte is suspected of crimes against humanity, including murder and attempted murder, allegedly committed in connection with the anti-drug campaign he launched during his tenure as Davao City mayor and later as Philippine president.
His anti-drug campaign, launched in 2016, drew widespread criticism from local and international human rights groups over thousands of deaths linked to police operations and vigilante-style killings. (PNA)
