The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Registry has received a total of 303 applications for victim participation in the trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte, which the ICC considered way below the number of drug war victims.
According to the report submitted to Pre-Trial Chamber I dated December 19, 2025, the low number of applications was largely due 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 was released as of the report’s submission.
“Considering the DCC was only filed confidentially, the Victims Participation and Reparations Section has been unable to provide any information regarding the crimes Mr. Duterte is charged with,” the Registry stated. It added 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 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. Most applications described killings or attempted killings allegedly committed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign during his term as mayor of Davao City from 2011 to 2016 and as president from 2016 to 2019, but did not fall within the incidents 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 also 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 for a drug case, you will be killed.”