THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I has formally authorized the participation of victims in the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, appointing a common legal team to represent their interests.
In a 15-page decision dated Jan. 26, 2026, the chamber approved applications from victims whose harm was reportedly directly linked to killings in Davao during Duterte’s tenure as mayor and the nationwide killings that occurred during his presidency.
The Court clarified that victims could be admitted even if they were not individually named in the initial charges, provided their cases fall within the specific time and geographic scope of the investigation.
Legal representation named
The Registry has been instructed to appoint Mr. Joel Butuyan, Mr. Gilbert Andres, and a counsel from the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) as the common legal representatives for all admitted victims.
This team will have access to the record of proceedings and receive relevant documents to ensure the victims’ voices are heard as the case progresses.
The Chamber also dismissed objections raised by the Defense regarding the victim participation process.
Request to reopen applications denied
The decision also addressed the OPCV request to reopen the victim application process.
The OPCV argued that many potential victims had not applied due to uncertainty about whether their specific incidents were included in the prosecution’s non-exhaustive list.
However, the chamber rejected the request, citing the need to protect the accused’s right to a timely process. The judges ruled that reopening applications at this stage would cause “undue delay” to the proceedings.
Future recourse for victims
While the current application window is closed for the pre-trial stage, the chamber noted that victims who did not meet the deadline can still apply later if the case proceeds to a full trial.
The ruling was signed by Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc, alongside Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera.
