September 16, 2025 — An interfaith movement in Canada says that the prosecution of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court is a “historic opportunity to affirm the primacy of human rights and the rule of law”.
The social justice coalition called KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives or simply KAIROS made the statement in anticipation of a hearing by the ICC to confirm charges against Duterte.
“KAIROS stands with faith communities, human rights and ecumenical partners in the Philippines, and with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), of which we are a member, to ensure that victims and their families are not silenced,” the movement said in a statement on September 3, 2025.
The ICC hearing was originally scheduled to start on September 23 to establish whether the trial of Duterte will proceed.
However, on September 8, the ICC moved to postpone the hearing until it determines that Duterte, 80, is fit to follow proceedings in his case.
The ICC is an independent court of last resort with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute serious crimes of international concern: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.
Per summary by The Hague-based court, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC on February 10, 2025 applied for an arrest warrant against Duterte for the crimes against humanity of murder, torture and rape.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I assessed the material submitted by the prosecution and found reasonable grounds to believe that Duterte is individually responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator for the crime of murder.
The murders were allegedly committed between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019, when Duterte was mayor of Davao City and later, president of the Philippines.
The crimes were allegedly committed as part of Duterte’s war on drugs.
A warrant of arrest against Duterte was issued by the pre-trial chamber. Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila after arriving from Hong Kong.
The former leader was transferred to the custody ICC in The Hague on March 12. He is detained at the Scheveningen Prison.
The initial appearance of Duterte before the pre-trial chamber took place on March 14 through video.
GMA News Online prepared an explainer about what is expected at a confirmation of charges hearing.
The news agency quoted Michael Tiu, an assistant professor of law at the University of the Philippines, who explained that strong evidence should be presented by prosecutors.
“The prosecution will present or read the charges, similar to when the information is read in our local courts, what the charge is, and then they'll present evidence,” Tiu said in mixed English and Tagalog.
"So the standard that they have to satisfy is that there should be sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that [the] former president committed these crimes," he added.
In its September 3, 2025 statement, KAIROS said that it is “essential that the judicial process proceeds in full accordance with the rules of evidence, guaranteeing that the facts are heard, tested and judged fairly”.
“This moment represents a vital step toward accountability for the thousands of extrajudicial killings and human rights violations committed during his administration,” the movement stated.
KAIROS is a joint program among 10 churches and religious organizations, and it is administered by the United Church of Canada.
The other participants are the Anglican Church of Canada, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Canadian Religious Conference, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Mennonite Central Committee of Canada, Presbyterian Church in Canada, Alongside Hope, and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
The word “Kairos” comes from a Greek term that means “right time” or “opportune moment” to do or say something of importance.
“The initial arrest of Duterte is a testament to the courage and perseverance of survivors and victims’ families,” KAIROS said in the statement.
According to the ICC, Duterte was the alleged founder and leader of the Davao Death Squad.
The squad was allegedly responsible for extra-judicial killings in the southern Philippines city of Davao when Duterte was mayor. The killings allegedly expanded nationwide when Duterte became president of the Philippines in 2016.
The ICC was created through the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, an international treaty that came into force in 2002.
In March 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, when Duterte was president.
Canadian Filipino Net is an independent, non-profit digital magazine produced by volunteer writers, editors, and webmasters. Your donation will go a long way so we can continuously publish stories about Canadian Filipinos. Click on a donate button and proceed either through PayPal, Debit, or Credit Card.
