Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the fifth status conference in his crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court, according to Philstar.com. The court's Trial Chamber III granted his request to be absent from the hearing, which is scheduled for tomorrow and is expected to be the last procedural session before his trial opens on Nov. 30.
Duterte has been held in The Hague since March 2025. Philstar.com reports that he filed a waiver of appearance and directed his legal team to handle the procedural items on the agenda, along with any other matters that come up during the session.
Why it matters
The hearing is the final scheduled checkpoint before the trial itself begins, so it sets the practical terms under which the case will be argued. Decisions taken now — on the courtroom calendar, on how witnesses will testify, and on how much time each side gets — will shape the pace and conduct of a trial that has drawn sustained attention in the Philippines and abroad.
The waiver also marks a change in Duterte's own approach. He had shown up in person for the two previous sessions, so his absence this time is a departure from his recent practice rather than a continuation of it.
What the hearing will cover
According to the agenda released by the court and cited by Philstar.com, the conference will address the daily sitting schedule and the arrangements for testimony given by audio-visual link, including the rights of the audience. It will also take up the list of witnesses and the number of hours allotted to the prosecution's evidence and to potentially exculpatory evidence.
Further items include applications concerning prior recorded testimonies, protective measures inside the courtroom, and the security of defense missions.
Duterte attended the third and fourth status conferences in person, on Sept. 16 and Oct. 13 respectively, Philstar.com reports. His decision to stay away from the fifth was submitted to the chamber and approved before the hearing date.
The charges and the named co-perpetrators
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity. The allegations concern killings carried out during his administration's anti-drug campaign, as well as killings attributed to the so-called Davao death squad during his time as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City.
Philstar.com reports that at least eight other people have been identified as co-perpetrators. They are Senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Bong Go; former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II; former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde, Camilo Cascolan and Vicente Danao; former National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran; and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña. Colascan is deceased, according to the report.
The trial is set to open on Nov. 30, roughly a month after tomorrow's conference.
What to watch: whether the chamber issues any scheduling or evidentiary directions at the conference that alter the Nov. 30 start date, and whether Duterte appears in person when the trial itself begins.
