Duterte’s ‘Death Squads’ & the Philippines Drug War: Facing ICC Trial
The Hague, Netherlands – Lydjay Acopio sat in the public gallery of the International Criminal Court on March 14, 2025, listening as judges weighed evidence against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accused of crimes against humanity stemming from his brutal “war on drugs.” Her daughter, three-year-old Myca, was the youngest known victim of the campaign, killed during a police raid on their home in Manila on June 29, 2019.
The raid began with shattering glass as seven men in dark jackets and masks attempted to break into the Acopio family home. Renato, Myca’s 41-year-old father and a former soldier, climbed onto the roof, taking Myca with him. Lydjay, realizing the intruders were likely police, directed her other children downstairs. A single gunshot followed, and Lydjay believes police fire struck her daughter.
“Her dream was to go to school,” Lydjay Acopio said in Tagalog, according to reports. “When my eldest son was in first grade, she helped him put on his uniform. But she never got a chance to study.”
The police operation was presented as a sting operation targeting Renato, alleging he had sold methamphetamine to an undercover agent. Lydjay Acopio maintains no such sale occurred, a claim supported by statements from witnesses interviewed by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR), though those witnesses, fearing retribution, have refused to be publicly identified. A firefight erupted after the initial shot, according to Lydjay, and police claim Renato used Myca as a human shield. The resulting shootout claimed the lives of Myca, Renato, an acquaintance, and a police officer.
The CHR ruled that, at the very least, the police acted recklessly in the presence of children. The events surrounding Myca’s death are emblematic of a broader pattern of extrajudicial killings that occurred between 2016 and 2022, with estimates ranging as high as 30,000 deaths attributed to police and state-sponsored death squads, making it one of the most extensive state-sponsored killing campaigns of the 21st century.
Duterte, who openly encouraged the killings, admitted in a 2015 television interview, “They say I am the death squad? True, that is true.” He repeatedly vowed to eradicate the drug problem, even suggesting in 2016 that citizens should kill drug addicts themselves to avoid the pain of their parents doing so. He also likened himself to Hitler and stated he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million drug addicts.
The former president’s methods drew praise from then-U.S. President Donald Trump in a 2017 phone call, who told Duterte to “keep up the good work,” acknowledging the “unbelievable job” being done on the drug problem.
Duterte left office in 2022, succeeded by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the former dictator. Initially, it appeared Duterte would avoid prosecution. Although, a falling out between Duterte and Marcos Jr. Led to the Philippine government’s cooperation with the ICC arrest warrant. Duterte was subsequently transported to The Hague, where he now awaits a decision on whether he will stand trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years, or life imprisonment in exceptional circumstances.
The ICC judges are expected to announce their decision by the finish of April. Lydjay Acopio, along with other families of victims, remains hopeful for justice, despite acknowledging that “no one in the Philippines can lay hands on Duterte, much less file cases against him.”
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, lethal anti-drug operations continue in the Philippines under the Marcos presidency, albeit on a smaller scale, raising concerns about a deeply ingrained culture of impunity.