Sara Duterte to consult father on possibly replacing ICC lawyers

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said she plans to discuss with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, calls to change his legal counsel in the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he faces charges of crimes against humanity related to his bloody war against drugs.

Sara said this in a chance interview in The Hague, Netherlands where she is visiting her father, who is currently in the custody of the international court.

READ: It’s on: ICC finds Duterte fit for trial

“That’s right. I actually said earlier that I would ask that, but I forgot. Sorry, I will ask that question tomorrow to former President Duterte. I forgot that question earlier,” said Sara when asked about calls for their family to replace the ex-chief executive’s lawyers.

The supposed calls were made after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I recently rejected the Duterte counsel’s request for an indefinite adjournment of the proceedings over Rodrigo’s alleged cognitive impairment. 

The Chamber also scheduled the commencement of the confirmation of charges hearing against the former president on Feb. 23, 2026.

This stemmed from the findings of a panel of three court-appointed medical experts — a forensic psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist, and a geriatric and behavioral neurologist — who unanimously deemed the former president fit to participate in the trial.

Since then, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, Rodrigo Duterte’s current lead counsel, declared that they will further challenge the Chamber’s ruling through a leave to appeal, even accusing the Court of denying the ex-chief executive due process by not allowing his lawyers to submit evidence or contest its medical assessment.

Duterte has been in the custody of the ICC since March 2025 amid crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody war against drugs.

READ: ICC releases details of charges vs Rodrigo Duterte

The campaign against illegal drugs, dubbed as Oplan Tokhang, left at least 6,000 people dead based on government records, with human rights groups having pegged the total deaths to at least 30,000. /das