'We Are Ready': Families Of Victims Of Duterte's War On Drugs Raring To Participate In ICC Trial

2026-02-22 11:15:31

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Families expressed disappointment ex-president Rodrigo Duterte will not face the ICC. 'We would have wanted to see his reactions as the charges were being read'

PUBLISHED: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 5:00 AM

By:
Raymund Villanueva

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Some families of victims of the war on drugs implemented by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte are in The Hague, the Netherlands. Llore Pasco said she and fellow complainant Sheera Escudero are ready to witness the first day of confirmation of charges sessions at the International Criminal Court (ICC) today, February 23.

Pasco's two sons, Crisanto and Juan Carlos Lozano, were killed in one day in May 2017, while Escudero's 18-year old brother Ephraim was killed in September of the same year.

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The two said they are nervous but ready about finally seeing Duterte formally charged in a court of law for ordering the deaths of their kin.

“Finally! We've waited nine years for this day to arrive! We are willing to participate in the proceedings if the ICC wishes us to,” Pasco told Khaleej Times.

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Pasco, however, expressed disappointment that Duterte decided not to appear in the sessions from Monday to Thursday this week.“I would have wanted to see his reactions as the charges are being read,” she said.

In a Philippine Congress investigation against Duterte in 2025, Pasco said she could not help but cry the first time she faced the person she believes was responsible for her sons' deaths.

“But we are finally here at this stage. We are ready,” she said.

Aside from Pasco and Escudero, top-notch Filipino rights lawyers and leading rights advocates have arrived at The Hague from Manila to assist the complainants and witness the historic proceedings.

Former Philippine legislator Neri Colmenares, accredited ICC assisting counsel Kristina Conti, Rise Up for Rights and for Life convenor Deaconess Rubilyn Litao, and Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay have also arrived at The Hague to attend the ICC sessions and other related activities.

Manila ready for ICC sessions

Meanwhile, in Manila, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza led a Mass for Justice and Truth at the Our Lady of Remedies Church in Manila with the families of victims of Duterte's war on drugs on Sunday.

Alminaza, President of Caritas Philippines and Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace said the killings were not random acts of violence but rather a systematic policy that undermined the fundamental right to life. He joined other Philippine Catholic leaders in saying Duterte's arrest by the ICC was“a step toward accountability.”

Rise Up for Rights and for Life, the organisation of families of victims of the bloody war on drugs, announced they are holding watch parties as the proceedings at The Hague unfold.

The Philippine National Police for its part said it is on heightened alert today (Feb 23) for possible protests as Duterte's charges are deliberated in The Netherlands.

The country's top police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez said authorities are monitoring possible mass gatherings across the country, saying“Our security measures are in place to ensure the peaceful conduct of any activity in public places.”

Nartatez said they are monitoring all groups interested in the proceedings.