Only 303 applications for victim participation in the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte as the International Criminal Court (ICC) Registry reported, describing the figure as “limited” compared with the potential pool of victims.
Based on the report submitted to Pre-Trial Chamber I dated 19 December 2025, the Registry said the low number of applications was due mainly to the absence of publicly available information on the specific charges.
The prosecution’s Document Containing the Charges (DCC) was filed confidentially on July 4, 2025, and no public version had been released as of the report’s submission.
The Registry added that considering that the DCC was only filed confidentially, the Victims Participation and Reparations Section has been unable to provide any information regarding the crimes Duterte is charged with.
Likewise, it stated that victim support groups had informed the Court they would begin assisting potential applicants only after the DCC was issued publicly and its scope clarified.
The Registry further noted that fewer than five percent of the 303 applications appeared to relate directly to the 78 incidents of murder and attempted murder identified in the confidential charging document.
Apparently, most applications described killings or attempted killings allegedly committed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, both during his term as mayor of Davao City from 2011 to 2016 and his presidency from 2016 to 2019, but did not fall within the incidents currently specified in the charges.
Because of the large number of so-called “Group C” applications—cases in which victim status could not be readily determined—and time constraints, the Registry submitted a sample of 10 applications for the judges’ consideration.
It provided anonymized excerpts from other submissions to reflect the experiences reported by applicants, including accounts of trauma, economic hardship, and fear of retaliation.
“The family did not pursue a case, knowing they will not win,” one excerpt quoted a victim’s father as saying. “You know Duterte. Even lawyers—if you are a lawyer of a drug case, you will be killed.”
The Chamber was asked by the Registry to clarify several procedural matters, including which identity documents would be accepted and whether the scope of the case was confined strictly to the 78 named victims or extended to a broader pattern of alleged conduct.
To recall, Mr. Duterte was surrendered to the ICC on 12 March 2025, and faces charges of murder under the Rome Statute.