KARAPATAN calls for no more delays in Duterte hearings at ICC; Arrest of Bato, Go, et al soonest
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
February 15, 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN calls for no more delays in Duterte hearings at ICC; Arrest Bato, Go, et al soonest
“As the International Criminal Court released the public lesser redacted version of the document containing the charges in the case against Rodrigo Duterte, we assert that there must be no more delays in the proceedings, including the immediate arrest of his co-perpetrators in the bloody war on drugs, including Duterte henchmen Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, as well as police officials,” said human rights group Karapatan.
The statement was issued as the hearing to confirm the charges against Duterte are set to begin on February 23 in The Hague, Netherlands. Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said that the release of the said document affirms long-standing claims that the killings carried out while Duterte was mayor of Davao City and later as president were systematic, widespread, and state-directed.
The ICC document names several alleged co-perpetrators, including Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, along with other former top police and government officials, for their roles in implementing a so-called ‘Common Plan’ to “neutralize” alleged criminals through violent means during Duterte’s drug war.
The Prosecution alleges that this plan operated through the Davao Death Squad and was later expanded into a nationwide killing machinery involving the Philippine National Police and other state agencies from 2013 to 2018, belying repeated claims that the killings were isolated or the work of rogue officers.
“We had hoped that the likes of former Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas, Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., and P/Col. Lito Patay, who were also Duterte’s lieutenants in the drug war killings as well as in the killings and arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders, would be included in the charges. Still, the inclusion of many of Duterte’s henchmen marks the beginning of going after the perpetrators who have enjoyed impunity for a long time,” Palabay added.
In observance of the hearings, Karapatan, Rise Up for Life and Rights, and Duterte Panagutin will hold a group watch in Manila to monitor the ICC proceedings, alongside protest actions set in the coming weeks.
“There must be no more delays,” Palabay concluded. “As we call for the immediate arrest of Duterte’s co-perpetrators, we also affirm that justice will only be achieved through vigilance especially by the victims, their families, and the people.”
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.