Duterte, 79, appeared at the hearing via videolink, with Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc citing his prior “long journey."

Rights groups have said tens of thousands were killed in his antidrug campaign while he was the president of the Philippines.

The autocratic spectacle of Duterte’s presidency should be a warning to the United States. Protesters hold a candlelight vigil demanding justice for drug war victims, after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, in Quezon City on March 11, 2025.