Amnesty International Philippines, on its movement’s 65th anniversary, announced the winners of Ignite Awards for Human Rights Season 4, the country’s first ever award-giving body exclusively dedicated to honoring Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). The four awardees, selected from dozens of nominees across the Philippines, were recognized for their courage and commitment to defending human rights, and the impact it brings to the lives of so many people especially the most vulnerable.

Iloilo City – Amnesty International Philippines said that it sees no meaningful progress in the government’s effort to address the human rights situation in the Visayas despite rising protest actions across regions. Launching its State of the World Human Rights Report 2025/26 in Iloilo City during the Visayas leg, Amnesty International Philippines reports locally on armed conflict, political repression, attacks on press freedom, displacement, and corruption under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In response to reports that former police chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa has fled the Senate building allowing him to evade an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, Ritz Lee Santos III, Section Director of Amnesty International Philippines, said:

The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) strongly opposes the protective custody reportedly extended by the Philippine Senate to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. We call on Philippine authorities to immediately arrest Senator dela Rosa and surrender him to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Following the confirmation of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for former Philippines National Police (PNP) Chief, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Ritz Lee Santos III, Section Director of Amnesty International Philippines, said:

Baguio City – Amnesty International Philippines today warned of a widening gap in human rights protection across Luzon due to systemic violations as the organization presented the Philippine entry to its State of the World’s Human Rights Report 2025/26 during the Luzon Leg, the first stop of its rolling launch held in Baguio City. 

Ngayong Mayo Uno, buong tatag na nakikiisa ang Amnesty International Philippines sa lahat ng mga uring manggagawa sa buong mundo. Sa gitna ng tumitinding krisis sa langis na lalong nagpapahirap sa sambayanan, matinding hamon ang sinusuong ng mga manggagawang nananatiling sumasahod nang kakarampot. 

Responding to news on civilians killed during an armed encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental, Amnesty International Philippines Section Director, Ritz Lee Santos, III, said:

The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) highly welcomes the recent double win for victims of the drug war in two separate decisions at the International Criminal Court (ICC), The Appeals Chamber of the ICC, by a majority vote, affirmed jurisdiction over the case against Rodrigo Roa Duterte on August 22. Today, the Pre-Trial Chamber I concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that former Philippine President Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder pursuant to Article 7 (1)(a) of the Rome Statute. These are very significant steps forward in the pursuit of truth and accountability for the alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of the Philippines’ so-called “war on drugs.”

Responding to the International Criminal Court confirming all crimes against humanity charges against former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, paving the way for full trial proceedings, the Director of Amnesty International Philippines, Ritz Lee Santos III, said:

The world is on the brink of a perilous new era, driven by powerful states’, corporations’ and anti-rights movements’ assaults on multilateralism, international law and human rights, Amnesty International warned today upon launching its annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights. States, international bodies and civil society must reject the politics of appeasement and collectively resist these attacks to prevent this new order from taking hold, the organization said in its assessment of the human rights situation in 144 countries. 

On 11 March, former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by police in the capital city Manila on a warrant issued by the ICC for murder as a crime against humanity. The warrant was issued in relation to unlawful killings in the “war on drugs” while he was president[1] and for killings in Davao City during his time as mayor (2013-2016), a development welcomed by families of victims and civil society[2]. He was subsequently transferred to The Hague and remained in detention at the end of the year.[3] The ICC Office of the Prosecutor was preparing to request that Duterte be charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, but his lawyers submitted that he was unfit to stand trial. The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber postponed his confirmation of charges hearing, originally scheduled for 23 September. No new date had been set by the end of the year.