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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
February 27, 2026 | 3:58pm
Supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte held life-size cardboard cutouts of the ex-leader outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague during the first day of his confirmation of charges hearing on February 23, 2026.
AFP / Simon Wohlfahrt
MANILA, Philippines — It is not just former president Rodrigo Duterte who is under trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but the entirety of the Philippines.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, who has consistently criticized Duterte’s drug war when his diocese of Caloocan saw large swaths of poor people being killed during the drug war, commented on the current proceedings of Duterte’s case.
The ICC Prosecutor had a strong case, David said. They had used Duterte’s words against him, proving that when the former president said that people should be killed, the bodies started to pile up.
But what was worse was the people who enabled Duterte’s power.
“The lawyer for the victims was right: something happened to us as a people. Many who were once peace-loving Filipinos were slowly shaped into clones of their idol. They became mirrors of the very violence they were witnessing. Brutality became entertainment. Threats became punchlines. And they echoed the chilling threats of their cult leader by trolling for him in the social media,” David said in a Facebook post.
“While the accused chose to remain in his cell and waived his right to face the court, he was actually not alone on trial. With him stood an entire nation. Not only those who applauded. Not only those who approved. But also those who kept quiet. Those who looked away. Those who knew—but chose silence,” he added.
David said that the trial was not a moment for applause—but a moment for the examination of conscience.
“One thing is certain: We cannot say we did not know. The world is presently watching. And with the accused, we—yes, all of us—stand on trial,” David said.
Duterte is facing a possible trial at the ICC for crimes against humanity of murder.
Official government tallies said that at least 6,000 people were killed in anti-drug operations, but rights groups believe that the number could be five times higher.
