MANILA – Seeking justice for her murdered brother, Sheerah Escudero braves her trauma.
“It is painful to have to retell Ephraim’s story again and again in front of many people and the media. But we are willing to endure this pain repeatedly if it means getting justice,” Escudero said in a press conference on February 17, 2026.
Ephraim went missing on September 19, 2017. On the third day of his disappearance, his body was found in a province more than 100 kilometers from where they lived, with head covered in a packaging tape and his arms and feet tied, just like many bodies recovered during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called war on drugs.
“For us victims, the confirmation of charges against Duterte is an answered prayer. It is clear to us that the ICC shows the call for justice does not end in the Philippines,” Escudero said. “Politicians who violate the law can also be held accountable under international law. We hope that the ICC will review the case carefully and be fair to the families.”
Escudero will go to The Hague with a group of families and human rights advocates, in time for Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) from February 23 to 27.
In the Document Containing the Charges (DCC), Duterte is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity: 1) Davao Death Squad (DDS) murders in or around Davao city during his term as Davao City mayor, 2) murders of high-value targets during his term as President; and, 3) murders and attempted murders in barangay clearance operations during his term as President.
The upcoming confirmation of charges hearing will take place before the judges of ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I composed of Presiding Judge Iulia Antonella Motoc,
Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera. The Prosecution, the Common Legal Representatives of Victims and the Defense will, in turn, present their arguments.
The confirmation of charges hearing at the ICC is a preliminary step, not a trial, and is meant to decide whether the evidence is strong enough to support the allegation that Duterte committed each of the crimes filed by prosecutors.
If one or more charges are confirmed, Duterte is deemed accused. The case will then go to trial. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I has a minimum of 60 calendar days to make a decision on the confirmation of charges.
“If the charges are confirmed, it is possible by the second half of this year for the trial to start. There will be another batch of victims’ applications,” ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti said. “In the whole context of drug war, these are those who are tortured, raped, forcibly surrendered.”
Attacks
Attacks against the families of victims and supporters have intensified as Duterte’s confirmation of charges nears.
“Here in the Philippines, victims like Ephraim are turned into the accused and blamed for why they were killed. We, the families, are criticized and vilified, mocked, turned into memes, with videos and photos edited,” Escudero said.
Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network reported that in recent days, coordinated troll attacks have flooded their posts and human rights groups, mocking and distorting the testimonies of the victims.
“This is exactly what the families of drug war victims have faced for years: a machinery of fake news, harassment, and organized online attacks meant to discredit them and protect those responsible,” Duterte Panagutin posted on social media.
Such machinery, the network added, aided Duterte and his co-perpetrators in shaping the public narrative that enabled a widespread culture of impunity. The network called on the public to protect them and actively report all forms of coordinated inauthentic behavior that seek to discredit, harass, and silence those demanding accountability and justice.
“In these times, what we need to do is for the victims to be encouraged to speak up,” Conti said. “The hardest thing to face for the victims is the vilification in their communities [or] of what could possibly happen in their homes.”
Warrants
Human rights groups have called on the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Duterte’s co-perpetrators. In the DCC’s public lesser redacted version, the Office of the Prosecutor identified two senators, a former justice secretary and former high-ranking police officials as Duterte’s co-perpetrators. Among those identified were Sens. Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go
Read: ICC identifies Duterte’s co-perpetrators in ‘drug war’
Also named in the document were former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, former Manila Police District Director Vicente Danao, former Philippine National Police Chief of Staff Camilo Cascolan, another former police chief Oscar Albayalde, former National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) called on the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Dela Rosa, Go, and the others so that they can also face trial.
“It remains abundantly clear that the Philippine judicial system is unable to prosecute these alleged co-perpetrators. While still at large they are a risk for destruction of evidence, intimidation of witnesses and also flight risks,” ICHRP Spokesperson Peter Murphy said.
Human rights groups, lawyers, and families also called for the expansion of scope of Duterte’s crime against humanity of murder include allow political killings, torture, and enforced disappearance.
Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said that the original petition filed by Rights Up for Life and for Rights in 2018 includes victims of torture, rape, illegal arrest, and even survivors of extrajudicial killings.
“Those killed during Duterte’s time were not only victims of the drug war but also of political persecution,” said VJ Topacio, son of slain National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants Agaton Topacio and Eugenia Magpantay.
Topacio and Magpantay were killed in their home in Angono, Rizal, on November 25, 2020, during the Duterte administration. Police claimed that they resisted arrest. But Topacio said that his parents were too ill to fight back. As peace consultants, they were supposed to be protected under the 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by both the NDFP and the Philippine government.
Topacio said that other victims of political killings were Zara Alvarez, Randall Echanis, Ben Ramos, Jory Porquia, and Randy Malayao.
Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said, “The road for justice and accountability has been long, tedious, and dangerous. But we remain, we continue to fight with the families of the victims.” (RVO, DAA)
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