ICC pre-trial, sinimulan na; Salvador Medialdea, dumalo bilang abugado ng dating pangulo
- Former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte made his first appearance in the initial hearing conducted by the International Criminal Court
- The presiding judge, Iulia Antoanella Motoc, said the main purpose of the initial hearing is to answer three questions
- Two of the questions was whether FPRRD “has been informed of the crimes of which he is accused” and whether he “has been informed of his rights as recognized by the Rome Statue”
- In a video shared by ABS-CBN of the ICC pre-trial, one can see former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea appearing as counsel for the former president
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Former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte finally made his first appearance in the initial hearing conducted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague in Netherlands.
Source: Youtube
The initial hearing started around 10:15 PM and lasted for less than 30 minutes.
The hearing was presided by three ICC judges, namely Reine Alapini-Gansou, Socorro Flores Liera, and Iulia Antoanella Motoc, with the latter acting as the main presiding judge.
In a video shared by ABS-CBN on YouTube, one can see Judge Motoc instructing the prosecution and defense to introduce themselves, with former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea appearing for and in behalf of former president Duterte.
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FPRRD attended the hearing garbed in a formal business suit through a remote video link because as former ES Medialdea said, he is in poor health condition.
ICC Judge Motoc then aked FPRRD his full name, date of birth, and his place of birth, each of which were answered by the former president.
The ICC judge then disclosed the three objectives of the initial hearing, which to know if the person charged has been apprised of the crime he is accused of, if he has been informed of his rights under the Rome Statute, and the setting of the date of the confirmation of charges.
“Today's hearing is neither the start of the trial, nor the confirmation of charges hearing. During today's hearing, no evidence will be collected or presented. And the issues of Mr. Duterte's guilt or innocence will therefore not be addressed,” ICC Judge Motoc said.
“The main purpose of this initial appearance is to answer three questions,” she added.
The ICC judge then enumerated what these three questions were.
“Firstly, the chamber must ensure that the person who was the subject of the arrest warrant has been informed of the crimes of which he is accused,” the ICC judge presiding over the trial of FPRRD said.
“Second, the chamber must ensure that this person has been informed of his rights as recognized by the Rome Statue,” she also said.
“Third, the chamber must set a date on which it intends to hold a confirmation of charges hearing,” ICC Judge Motoc concluded.
She also again denied the two motions filed by former ES Medialdea, one of which is the postponement of the initial appearance to next week.
Judge Motoc then said “No further discussion of this matter is necessary,” adding that the objective of the initial hearing is just to introduce the parties, ascertain the charges, and set a hearing at a later date.
“The aim of the hearing today is to introduce the parties, ascertain the charges, and set the hearing at a later date.
The ICC judge then set the confirmation of charges hearing to take place on September 23 2025.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte was the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines. He left Malacañang on June 30. The newly inaugurated President of the Philippines is Bongbong Marcos who got 31 million votes in the May 2022 elections. The new Vice President of the Philippines is VP Sara Duterte, the daughter of the former president.
Meanwhile back home, the Supreme Court en banc has issued an order directing several government officials to justify their actions in relation to the enforcement of an ICC warrant against former president Rodrigo Duterte. The High Court’s order, which was released March 13, 2025, ordered ES Lucas Bersamin, SILG JonVic Remulla Jr, and CPNP P/MajGen Rommel Marbil, to show casue within 24 hours. The court also said that the 24 hour window, which starts from receipt of notice, is “non-extendible.” It can be recalled that Duterte siblings Paolo, Sebastian, and Veronica filed a petition for “Writ of Habeas Corpus” in relation to the arrest and detention of their father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
It can be recalled that upon arrival at The Hague and before deplaning, former President Rodrigo Duterte issued a statement, through a video, to his supporters back home in the Philippines. In his video message, he addressed Philippine military and law enforcement personnel, assuring them that he will protect them at all costs. “Sinabi ko na, I will protect you and I will... ako ang managot sa lahat,” says FPRRD. It can be recalled that moments after arriving from Hong Kong, the former president was whisked in a plane bound for The Hague in Netherlands to face charges filed at the ICC.
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