News
‘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."...
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...
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...
Trumped-up charges against 70-year-old activist
Human rights activist Myrna Cruz-Abraham was arrested by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army in San Rafael, Bulacan on January 27, 2025. She was then transferred to the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp...
Protecting human rights in EU-Philippines free trade agreement negotiations
When the Philippines began the second round of talks over a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) last February 2025, concerns were raised about potential negative impacts on vulnerable sectors and the country's ongoing human rights issues....
Historic step towards justice: Rodrigo Duterte arrested, charged at ICC
After receiving an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, delivered by Interpol, the Philippine authorities arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on March 11, 2025. Duterte was...
Philippines exits FATF grey list amid concerns over human rights violations
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) declared that the Philippines has fulfilled its compliance requirements on February 21, 2025, following a visit by officials of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog just a month earlier. The country has...
House of Representatives votes for impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte
The Philippine House of Representatives voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on February 5, 2025, making her the first vice president in the nation’s history to face such a process. The impeachment followed a complaint that included the following accusations: ...