ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan said the trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) will proceed to a full hearing due to the substantial evidence that the prosecutor presented.
“Duterte’s lawyer has given advance notice of his plan to have the case dismissed outright. But with the kind of evidence the ICC prosecutor has divulged, there is little doubt the case will proceed,” Butuyan said in his Inquirer column ‘The Duterte trial as a cleansing ritual’ published on April 3.
Butuyan also said the impending trial is expected to dominate public discourse, with millions of Filipinos closely following the proceedings in what he described as a “blockbuster real-life show” that will eclipse even the most popular TV dramas.
Duterte’s legal team has signaled plans to seek the outright dismissal of the case, but Butuyan expressed confidence that the ICC’s evidence is strong enough to proceed to trial. “The testimonies of witnesses—including confessed Davao Death Squad hitmen Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas—will reveal the gruesome details of state-sponsored killings,” he said.
The trial is expected to draw intense scrutiny from both Duterte’s supporters and critics. Unlike past debates fueled by conflicting narratives, Butuyan emphasized that the ICC proceedings will force all sides to confront the same set of verified facts.
“This is no longer about hypotheticals—this is about evidence under international scrutiny,” he said.
The ICC-accredited lawyer also said the trial would become a national obsession, with live-streamed hearings dissected in workplaces, family gatherings, and even casual conversations.
“Every Filipino will become a self-styled ICC expert,” he said, arguing that the sheer public interest should push the Philippine government to rejoin the ICC.
With an estimated 30,000 killed in Duterte’s drug war, Butuyan noted that at least 150,000 immediate family members—widows, orphaned children, and grieving parents—have a direct stake in the trial. “Their search for justice will resonate nationwide,” he said.
The trial may also expose how police were allegedly mobilized as a “criminal organization,” with hitmen reportedly hired to carry out extrajudicial killings. Butuyan believes the revelations could erode Duterte’s support base. “When the full horror of these crimes is laid bare, even loyalists may recoil, just as Nazi sympathizers did after the Holocaust,” he said.
Ultimately, Butuyan framed the trial as a chance for national redemption. “This is our moment to confront our moral collapse, to reject the barbarism we once tolerated,” he said. “The ICC trial is not just about Duterte—it’s about who we are as a people.” (TCSP)
