For four days Grace Garganta sat in the public gallery at the International Criminal Court in The Hague as prosecutors presented excerpts of speeches and testimony connected to former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. Prosecutors say Duterte unleashed a deadly drug campaign that led to thousands of extrajudicial killings, including the deaths of Garganta’s father and brother.
Garganta listened as lawyers described police crackdowns and streets littered with bodies, some found with heads bound in packing tape. She alternated between silent mourning and visible emotion, and bristled when Duterte’s lawyer argued that the former president’s speeches could not establish criminal intent. For her, the hearing was about giving faces to the victims and insisting they are more than statistics.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity for murder, tied to alleged killings carried out while he served as mayor of Davao City and later as president. These confirmation hearings mark the end of the pretrial phase; ICC judges now have up to 60 days to decide whether prosecutors have shown substantial grounds to send the case to full trial.
Garganta’s father, Marcelo, and brother, Joseph, were killed in 2016. After those deaths she went into hiding, fearing she might be targeted as a witness. She first traveled to The Hague when the confirmation hearing was scheduled last September, although that session was postponed at the request of Duterte’s lawyers who cited his fragile health. Duterte has since waived his right to attend the hearings in person. Garganta described the proceedings as a source of renewed hope and a feeling of happiness she had not felt in years, while acknowledging this is only one step in a long pursuit of justice.
Outside the court, and across from the detention center where Duterte has been held since his arrest in the Philippines last March, supporters rallied for his release. Wearing caps, shirts and stickers reading Bring Him Home, they echoed calls from the defense for interim release of the 80-year-old. The ICC rejected that request and ordered him to remain in custody pending trial. Some supporters traveled from abroad: a nurse living in Northern Ireland said she wanted to show appreciation for Duterte’s actions in Davao, and a group of Filipino seafarers took leave in Rotterdam to attend, praising his defense of migrant workers.
A notable feature of the hearings was official victim participation. The ICC authorized 539 victims to take part in the confirmation of charges through three appointed lawyers, a step the court described as a historic first in international criminal law. Victims, family members and experts were allowed to contribute insight into the patterns and context of the alleged crimes. ICC spokespeople and human rights representatives said meaningful participation is essential for the court’s legitimacy, especially given its distance from affected communities.
Those who made the trip to The Hague have not been immune to intimidation. Sheera Escudero, whose brother Ephraim was killed and whose body was found with his head wrapped in tape, reported online trolling and threats before the hearings. She shared how she received messages warning she could be next, and how an AI-generated video falsely showed her brother alive and accused her of lying. Human rights advocates say many relatives have transformed from grieving family members into active campaigners, using their presence at the ICC to counter disinformation and document patterns of abuse. Still, safety concerns persist for those who return to the Philippines.
For families like Garganta’s and Escudero’s, the confirmation hearings are not the end of the road but a significant milestone. They say the process brings visibility to their losses and underscores a long, step-by-step struggle for accountability, even as questions about witness protection and the broader political response remain unresolved.