News
AMP-Statement: On fabricated charges against NGOs in the Philippines
The Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte – Philippinen (AMP) condemns the high number of fabricated charges filed against NGOs, development workers, and human rights defenders by the Philippine government for allegedly violating the domestic “Terrorism Financing Prevention...
Human rights groups warn against Marcos Jr.’s new approach to police anti-drug policy
Human rights advocates in the Philippines have raised concerns following General Nicolas Torre III’s announcement that one of his anti-drug strategies is to track the number of arrests made by police officers as part of their performance metrics. Torre made this...
Can Rodrigo Duterte serve as mayor of Davao City?
Rodrigo Duterte’s term as Davao City mayor is set to begin on June 30, 2025 but he is still detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, awaiting his confirmation of charges hearing on September 23. The former president of the Philippines...
Cernet 27 trial stalls as AMLC fails to present evidence
The terrorism financing case against the Philippine non-governmental organization (NGO) Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) and 27 individuals who were affiliated with CERNET (referred to as “Cernet 27”) has encountered another legal setback as the...
EU election observers report violence, vote-buying and “red-tagging” in Philippines’ mid-term elections
Violent incidents, including at least 30 killings of candidates and election officials, marred the recently concluded midterm polls in the Philippines. This was reported by the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) at a press conference in Manila last...
Pastor Nathaniel “Dodo” Vallente acquitted
The second trumped-up charge of illegal possession of firearms against United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Pastor Nathaniel “Dodo” Vallente were dismissed by the Regional Trial Court in Bohol on June 5, 2025, as the prosecution failed to establish facts...
‘Functional Dismissal?’: Senate action sparks dispute over Sara Duterte impeachment
After being sworn in as judges for the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte on June 10, 2025, the Philippine Senate voted to return the impeachment complaint to the House of Representatives. Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa initially sought to dismiss...
“Red-tagging” dominates 2025 mid-term elections violations, watchdogs warned
Election watchdogs raised concerns over a sharp rise in campaign violations as Filipin@s casted their votes on Monday, May 12, 2025 for the congressional and local government elections with so-called “red-tagging” emerging as the most widespread and alarming offense...
Court dismisses terror financing charges against PDG
The Iloilo Regional Trial Court denied on April 22, 2025, a motion for reconsideration in a terrorism financing case against Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group's (PDG) staff and individuals affiliated with PDG, reaffirming a previous dismissal from March 14 due...
Targeting dissent: Enforced disappearances under Marcos Jr.
Pauline Joy Banjawan, a volunteer campaign coordinator for party-list Bayan Muna in Southern Tagalog and an organizer for the urban poor rights group Kadamay Southern Tagalog, was reported missing on April 26, 2025, after she reported being followed by suspicious...
Duterte’s ICC case: Legal experts clash on Rome Statute interpretation
The interpretation of the Rome Statute, especially in relation to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) jurisdiction following a state's withdrawal, is a key point in the ongoing legal debate surrounding the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at...
Duterte dynasty grows amid ICC detention and impeachment threats
Former President Rodrigo Duterte has won the mayoral election in Davao City on May 12, 2025, even while being detained in The Hague by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the human rights violations committed in his so-called "war on drugs."...
Terrorism financing charges target human rights advocates
Jasmin Jerusalem, executive director of the Leyte Center for Development (LCDe), reappeared in court on March 25, 2025, after charges against her were reinstated following an appeal by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The case was dismissed for...
U.S. sanctions threaten ICC’s existence
United States President Donald Trump issued sweeping sanctions on February 6, 2025, targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. The sanctions, aimed at blocking the Court’s investigations into American and allied nationals,...
Was Duterte’s ICC arrest politically motivated?
Acting on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and sent to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), Philippine authorities arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on March 11, 2025. The following day, he was...
How Duterte’s ICC arrest impacts the Philippine midterm elections
Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent arrest over alleged crimes against humanity and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in March 2025 has raised the stakes for the midterm elections that will take place in the Philippines on May 12,...
ICC trial against Rodrigo Duterte: What happens next?
Following his arrest on March 11, 2025, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. He awaits trial at the Hague Penitentiary Institution for crime against humanity of murder,...
House probe into disinformation sparks debate on media freedom
A congressional inquiry into online disinformation has raised questions about the balance between accountability and potential threats to press freedom. During the third hearing of the House tri-committee on March 21, 2025, bloggers associated with former President...
Police “abducted” activist Lejun de la Cruz
Elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) attempted but failed to assassinate Lejun de la Cruz, a former communist guerilla, human rights activist, and nominee of the Magsasaka party-list in the coming May election. This was announced by Magsasaka Party in a...
UN Committee reviews Philippines’ human rights compliance
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) reviewed the Philippines in the context of the seventh periodic report in Geneva on February 19, 2025, on the state of the country’s compliance with economic, social, and cultural human...