Former president lets his lawyers handle the November 2 hearing as the crimes against humanity trial nears its November 30 start
DUTERTE ICC STATUS CONFERENCE – Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not be present when the International Criminal Court (ICC) holds the fifth status conference in his crimes against humanity case on Monday, November 2, 2026, after he formally waived his right to attend.
Court records show that Duterte’s defense team informed ICC Trial Chamber III of his decision on October 28. The chamber, composed of Judges Joanna Korner, Keebong Paek and Nicolas Guillou, approved the request the following day and ordered the defense to place his signed waiver on record.
Lead counsel Peter Haynes KC complied on October 30, submitting the signed document as an annex to a defense filing. Under the waiver, Duterte authorized his lawyers to handle all the procedural matters on the hearing’s agenda, as well as any other issues that may come up.
The status conference could be the last one before the trial formally opens on November 30. Duterte, who has been detained in The Hague since March 2025, personally attended the third and fourth status conferences on September 16 and October 13. In both hearings, he was not asked to speak and mostly listened to the proceedings.
The chamber will sit from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Central European Time, or 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Manila, with a second session from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Philippine time if needed. The hearing will be streamed with a 30-minute delay on the ICC’s website and Facebook accounts.
Up for discussion are the daily sitting schedule, testimony through audio-visual link, rights of audience, and the list of witnesses along with the number of hours the prosecution will need to present its evidence. The judges will also take up potentially exculpatory evidence, agreed facts and the order of calling witnesses, applications on prior recorded testimony under Rule 68(3), in-court protective measures and the security of defense missions.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity over killings linked to his administration’s war on drugs, as well as those blamed on the so-called Davao Death Squad when he was mayor and vice mayor of Davao City.
At least eight other people have been named as alleged co-perpetrators, including Sens. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go, former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde, Vicente Danao and the late Camilo Cascolan, former National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran, and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña.
So far, only Dela Rosa is publicly known to be the subject of an ICC arrest warrant. The senator remains in hiding, and President Marcos has ordered his lawful and non-violent arrest. The Philippine National Police has since launched an all-out manhunt after his surrender deadline lapsed.
With Duterte’s waiver on record, his defense lawyers are expected to argue on his behalf when the judges finalize the remaining preparations for trial.