The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) expresses its strong opposition and grave concern over any proposal or consideration for the interim release of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains under active investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity arising from the thousands of killings perpetrated during the so-called “war on drugs.”

“Red-tagging” – the public vilification of human rights defenders and other targeted groups and individuals as alleged members and clandestine recruiters of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) – continued. This was despite a Supreme Court ruling in May that “red-tagging” threatens a person’s life, liberty and security. UN experts, including the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, made repeated calls on the government to denounce and penalize the practice.

On 6 February 2025, United States President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order authorizing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. This Executive Order is intended to stop the ICC from undertaking its independent mandate. It also poses a significant threat to the ICC and its staff.  UN experts strongly condemned the move, calling it “an attack on global rule of law” that undermines international justice.

The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) welcomes the House Quad Committee’s recommendation to prosecute Former President Duterte and other high officials of the government who have been responsible for the systematic and massive extrajudicial killings in our country.

July 17 is the World Day of International Justice. We note with great concern the continuing reality that justice for serious crimes remains out of reach for many victims in various parts of the world. Impunity for serious crimes and other grave violations of international law shatters the lives of families including children. On this International Day of Justice, we reiterate our rejection of the bloody war on drugs in the Philippines where an estimated 30,000 were killed, most of them poor drug users and small-time drug peddlers. The Duterte government only officially report 6,235 killed during police operations from July 2016 –June 2022. Today, the killings continue under the Marcos government.

Responding to news that Representatives Bienvenido Abante and Ramon Gutierrez filed House Resolution 1477, urging Philippine government agencies to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in conducting an investigation into possible crimes against humanity in the campaign against drugs, Dr. Aurora Parong, Co-Chairperson of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) said:

We highly welcome the International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber decision rejecting and dismissing the appeal of the Philippine government to stop the investigation of the Philippine situation by the ICC. We have been waiting for this decision. The families of victims of the war on drugs have long been waiting for justice. As of now, many of the victims and families who suffered and continue to suffer due to the brutal war on drugs pin their hopes on the ICC as the only credible venue for justice.

The PCICC highly welcomes the laudable decisions of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) allowing victims to give their views and concerns on this appeal and rejecting the request for suspensive effect of the appeal filed by the Philippine government. They give hope for justice to the families of victims of extrajudicial killings in the brutal war on drugs. They are flickers of light amidst the darkness of impunity in our country.

All over the world every year, July 17 is celebrated as International Day of Justice. It marks the adoption of the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), a court of last resort which deliver justice for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. It also highlights the need for domestic courts to be able to prosecute and exact accountability for serious crimes that violate international laws.