De Lima: Past warning vs Duterte on drug war raps fulfilled now

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, along with Sens. Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan, join the ‘Trillion Peso March’ at the   the demonstration at Edsa Shrine. — Photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — Warnings issued to former president Rodrigo Duterte about possible charges due to his drug war are coming to fruition with the International Criminal Court (ICC) releasing a summary of its prosecutor’s murder raps, Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said.

De Lima in a statement on Tuesday said that as early as 2018 — two years into Duterte’s administration — she and other drug war critics have already warned the former leader of possible consequences brought by the widespread killings in anti-narcotics operations.

However, de Lima said Duterte did not listen to the call to stop the killings, and now, the former president will be held accountable.

“The wheels of justice started to grind as early as the OTP’s declaration of a preliminary examination of the drug war killings in 2018. As early as then we already warned Duterte to stop the killings or he will inevitably face justice before the ICC, no matter how far off in the future,” the lawmaker said.

“That future we warned him about is now the present we are witnessing. Duterte did not lack warnings and advice from the Philippine human rights community about his future accountability. He ignored all these warnings at his own peril,” she added.

Early Tuesday morning, ICC uploaded on its website a redacted version of the “Document Containing the Charges,” including excerpts of the charges against Duterte.

Based on the document, the prosecution held Duterte criminally liable for:

• Murder as a crime against humanity in Davao City between 2013 to 2016 during Duterte’s time as Davao City mayor — citing nine incidents which resulted in 19 victims.
• Murder as a crime against humanity of “High-Value Targets” in locations across the Philippines during his term as president, between 2016 and 2017 — citing five incidents which resulted in 14 victims.
• Murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity in barangay clearance operations in locations across the Philippines during his term as president, between 2016 and 2018 — citing 35 incidents which resulted in 45 victims (43 of whom were killed).

The prosecution noted that the actual scale of victimization during the charged period “was significantly greater due to its widespread nature.”

READ: ICC details Duterte charges: murder, attempted murder across PH

According to de Lima, the display of the charges against Duterte is a welcome development and “serves as a milestone in the process of exacting accountability.”

“This serves as a milestone in the process of exacting accountability for the crimes committed in Davao City by the DDS and during the drug war all over the Philippines by the so-called ‘national network’ of death squads, both created and organized by Mayor, then President Duterte,” she said.

“His detention and indictment for the drug war killings are the direct consequence of his own actions. As we have said again and again, he has no one to blame but himself. His co-conspirators will follow him to the Hague soon enough,” de Lima added.

Duterte has been under ICC custody since March 2025. On March 11, upon returning from a trip to Hong Kong, the older Duterte was stopped from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 as local authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization in enforcing the ICC’s arrest order.

The warrant was issued due to complaints for the crime against humanity of mass murder, due to his role in his administration’s drug war.

READ: Plane carrying Rodrigo Duterte leaves PH for The Hague

Early in Duterte’s administration, rights watchdogs decried the alleged human rights violations in the implementation of the drug war.

Since his administration ended in 2022, different bodies have initiated different investigations of the drug war, particularly allegations of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the conduct of the police operations, like Oplan Tokhang — a portmanteau of Visayan words “toktok” or to knock, and “hangyo” or to plead.

In August 2017, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was killed despite not being the original target of the anti-drug operation in Caloocan City. He was shot point-blank, as camera footage showed him pleading for his life.

Duterte’s legal counsel Nicholas Kaufman recently told the ICC that the former president is suffering from cognitive deficiencies and is unable to recall events, places and even members of his close family, and even the defense team.

In a 13-page document dated September 11, Kaufman explained that the Duterte camp is seeking the adjournment of all legal proceedings due to his deteriorating health.

However, netizens questioned whether such claims are true, noting that Duterte’s children — including Vice President Sara Duterte — were able to talk with the former president about a wide range of topics, which many saw as an indication that he is well.

READ: Ex-Pres. Duterte OK, we talked about flood control mess – VP Sara  /das