No proof minors killed in Duterte drug war beyond Kian delos Santos — Kaufman

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February 27, 2026 | 7:22pm

MANILA, Philippines — Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman on Friday, February 27, attempted to cast doubt on the prosecution’s claim that children were among those killed in the cases brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) — despite directly name-dropping Kian delos Santos.

On the fourth and final day, Kaufman attempted to cite what he described as technical lapses on the part of the prosecution to argue that Duterte was not involved in any plan for mass killings.

One of the most pivotal points raised by the ICC prosecution was that children were among those killed in Duterte’s drug war. At least three of the 49 drug war killing incidents presented to the ICC involved minors.

Kaufman attempted to debunk this claim.

“On the subject of the killing of children, of course it ticks the right boxes for the prosecution insofar as it pulls the heartstrings but apart from Kian Delos Santos, the prosecution has not, despite its emphasis on children, presented to this chamber during these proceedings, any evidence that even one victim, apart from Kian, in its 49 incidents was a minor. No birth certificates. No corroborate evidence. Nothing,” Kaufman said.

Delos Santos is one of the few cases in the Philippines where a conviction was secured against the police officers who carried out the extrajudicial killing. However, Delos Santos is far from the only child killed during Duterte's drug war.

Kaufman himself previously cited the case of 19-year-old Carlos Arnaiz as an example of the Duterte administration being capable of convicting erring police officers. Children as young as three years old were also killed during the drug war, though their cases may not be among those submitted to the ICC, as many victims’ names have been redacted.

Kaufman accused the prosecution of attempting to tug on heartstrings, despite his appeal to the judges to bring “Tatay Digong” home.

Much of Kaufman’s strategy relied on casting doubt on the sworn testimonies of witnesses and arguing that there was no forensic proof or documentary evidence supporting their claims.

At the beginning of the hearing, Kaufman was warned by ICC Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc not to divulge sensitive information about victims and witnesses. Despite this, the livestream of the hearing was suspended at least three times, indicating that sensitive information may have again been disclosed by Kaufman.