International Criminal Court (ICC) assistant to counsel Kristina Conti on Wednesday expressed optimism that the ICC Appeals Chamber will dismiss the appeal of former President Rodrigo Duterte on the ruling that found him fit to stand trial.
“Kumpyansa ako na pagdating po sa Appeals Chamber ay hindi na rin po kakatigan, hindi papanigan ng Appeals Chamber ‘yung sinasabi na pagkakamali ng Pre-Trial Chamber ayon sa defense,” Conti said in an ambush interview.
(I am confident that once it reaches the Appeals Chamber, it will also not uphold or side with the claim of an error by the Pre-Trial Chamber as argued by the defense.)
In January, the chamber found that Duterte is fit to participate in the pre-trial proceedings against him, denying his request for an indefinite adjournment.
The chamber scheduled the commencement of the confirmation of charges hearing on February 23, 2026.
Duterte’s team has asked the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to allow it to appeal the ruling.
His lawyers argued that the chamber failed to articulate coherently why Duterte is fit to proceed to trial.
They also claimed that the chamber erred by confining its assessment of Duterte’s fitness to the pre-trial phase and failing to consider the impact on its finding on Duterte’s ability to stand trial.
However, Conti stressed that the accused can waive his presence during pre-trial proceedings, including the confirmation of charges hearing.
She added that the uncertainty greatly affects the families of drug war victims.
“Ang laking anxiety sa kanila nung uncertainty. At malaking tanong lagi ay matutuloy po ba ‘yung hearing,” she said.
(The uncertainty causes them great anxiety. And the big question is always whether the hearing would push through.)
“Para sa amin at sa coordination namin sa ICC, tuloy ito dahil sa bahagi ng Pre-Trial Chamber… wala na pending na issue sa Pre-Trial Chamber,” she added.
(For us and in our coordination with the ICC, this will proceed because on the part of the Pre-Trial Chamber… there is no longer any pending issue in the Pre-Trial Chamber.)
The ICC Prosecutor has charged the former President with 49 incidents of murder and attempted murder during his time as mayor of Davao City and as President of the Philippines, although the actual scale of victimization during the charged period was significantly greater.
Based on government records, around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug operations. Human rights organizations, however, say that the number may reach 30,000 due to the unreported related killings. — JMA, GMA Integrated News
