TIMELINE: ICC probe into the Philippines’ war on drugs

Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been studying the situation of the war on drugs in the Philippines, which was launched by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. The international body has expressed concern on the alleged extrajudicial killings committed by state authorities.

Based on government data, the drug war death toll surpassed 6,000 since the presidency of Duterte began. Human rights groups, however, said that fatalities reached 20,000.

Here is a timeline of the ICC’s investigation into the Philippines’ bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.

November 1, 2011 - The Philippines became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a body that investigates individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. The ICC also tries the accused if warranted.

July 1, 2016 - Then President Rodrigo Duterte, who campaigned to rid the Philippines of illegal drugs, declared a “war on drugs” after winning the presidential elections. He ordered the police, headed by then chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, to conduct anti-drug operations.

October 13, 2016 - Then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda released a statement about the “concerning situation” in the Philippines, specifically the reported extrajudicial killings of supposed drug dealers and users.

February 8, 2018 - The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor announced that they will initiate a preliminary examination in the Philippines following reports of crimes against humanity for the alleged extrajudicial killings.

March 14, 2018 - Duterte said that the Philippines is withdrawing from the ICC.

March 17, 2018 - The Philippines submitted its withdrawal to the ICC.

March 17, 2019 - The withdrawal took effect, and the Philippines was removed from the ICC.

March 16, 2021 - The Philippine Supreme Court ruled that the country should cooperate with the ongoing examination on the war on drugs despite its withdrawal from the ICC.

June 14, 2021 - Bensouda announced that she has completed the initial examination. She asked the court’s pre-trial chamber for an authorization to conduct a full probe into the alleged crimes against humanity in the Philippines.

August 27, 2021 - Around 200 victim representations for 1,530 individual victims and 1,050 families were submitted by the ICC Registry to Court judges.

September 15, 2021 - The ICC Pre-trial Chamber I greenlighted the full investigation war on drugs.

November 10, 2021 - The Philippine government requested the ICC to defer the investigation as national authorities launched its own probe into drug war killings.

November 18, 2021 - Incumbent ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan heeded the Philippine government’s request and halted the probe.

June 24, 2022 - Khan sought authorization from ICC judges to resume the investigation as he pointed out that the Philippine government has failed to substantiate its request.

January 26, 2023 - The ICC pre-trial chamber authorized the resumption of the drug war investigation,noting that it was “not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the investigation.”

February 3, 2023 - The Philippine government appealed the decision approving the resumption of the probe and requested again for its suspension.

July 18, 2023 - The ICC Appeals Chamber rejected the Philippine government’s appeal against the investigation’s resumption.

November 24, 2023 - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is looking into the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC as he reiterated that the international body has no jurisdiction to hold investigations in the country.

May 8, 2024 - The Department of Justice said that it is preparing a legal briefer for President Marcos. The briefer contains an objective statement or analysis of options that the president may take in case the ICC issues arrest warrants. The move comes after former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said that the ICC may release an arrest warrant against Duterte in June.

August 1, 2024 - Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra confirmed that the government received a communication from the ICC on July 5, asking the latter to facilitate interviews for five people under suspicion in the war on drugs of the Duterte administration. 

Days before, Trillanes released a supposedly redacted document on X, formerly Twitter, showing that former and active officials of the Philippine National Police are now considered as suspects in the ICC probe.

October 30, 2024 - The ICC said it is closely “following the development” in the Philippines regarding the Duterte administration’s war on drugs amid bombshell testimonies in televised congressional probes. Duterte also faced hearings in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

November 13, 2024 - Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said if the ICC courses its process through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the government is prepared to honor its commitment to the Interpol if a Red Notice is issued for Duterte. An Interpol Red Notice is a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.” 

November 30, 2024 - The ICC launched a “witness appeal” platform where those who have “credible” knowledge about Duterte’s drug war can submit information, according to ICC assistant to counsel Kristina Conti. 

January 23, 2025 - The Philippines has signaled a softened stance towards the ICC investigation into the drug war, with Justice Secretary Boying Remulla telling Reuters that the government “will talk to them soon in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity.” He said ICC representatives “have been going in and out of the country without us raising anything.”

“I know that, as anecdotally from people I know from the human rights community, they've been in contact here,” Remulla added.

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor told NewsWatch Plus it “welcomes cooperation from State Parties as well as increased engagement and cooperation from non-State parties and looks forward to further exchanges with all relevant stakeholders, including national authorities, civil society and others, to seek support for its investigations, as well as to discuss on general matters of justice, accountability and complementarity.” 

March 9, 2025 - Malacañang said the government is “prepared for any eventuality” amid unconfirmed reports that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Duterte.

March 11, 2025 - Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City pursuant to an ICC warrant coursed through the Interpol.

NewsWatch Plus multiplatform producer Jelo Mantaring contributed to this report.