Former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio believes that former President Rodrigo Duterte’s camp will face a tough legal battle in the crimes against humanity case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This is due to the “firsthand experience” of witnesses against him, such as those identifying themselves as members of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), who allegedly have direct knowledge of the killings attributed to the former president.
Carpio asserted that these witnesses possess personal knowledge of the killings carried out under the former president’s orders.
He stated that these testimonies will be difficult to refute or contradict.
While the former president’s camp can challenge the legality of his arrest before the scheduled hearing in September 2025, and even if a court declares the arrest illegal, the ICC’s jurisdiction will remain unaffected.
The former Supreme Court justice explained that the ICC is not involved in the arrest made or occurred in the Philippines, and because Duterte (the suspect) has been surrendered to them, their jurisdiction over him will remain.
The former president’s legal team previously insisted that Duterte’s arrest constituted kidnapping, leading to his eventual surrender to authorities in The Hague, Netherlands, where the international tribunal is based.
