Duterte waives appearance at ICC status conference ahead of November 30 trial

Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not personally attend the International Criminal Court (ICC) status conference set for November 2, 2026, having waived his right to appear and directed his legal team to represent him, Edge Davao reported.

In a waiver dated October 30, Duterte said he was giving up his right to appear before the Trial Chamber. He instructed his lawyers to address the items on the status conference agenda as well as any other issues that may come up during the proceedings.

The status conference comes ahead of the scheduled start of his trial on November 30, 2026, before Trial Chamber III of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands. The chamber is composed of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek and Judge Nicolas Guillou.

Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity involving murder and attempted murder allegedly committed against civilians in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.

According to the ICC, the first count covers alleged murders in Davao City while Duterte was mayor, from 2013 to around June 2016. The second concerns alleged killings of so-called high-value targets in various parts of the country during his presidency, between around July 2016 and July 2017. The third involves alleged murder and attempted murder during barangay clearance operations nationwide from around July 2016 to September 2018.

The ICC said that when hearings open on November 30, the judges will first determine whether Duterte understands the nature of the charges and will ask whether he admits guilt or pleads not guilty.

The chamber will then hear opening statements from the Prosecution, the Common Legal Representatives of the Victims, and the Defence if it chooses to present one. The Prosecution has been given six hours for its opening statement, while the victims' legal representatives have been allotted three hours.