INTRODUCTION

In the case of the Philippines, the ICC initiated an investigation in response to

allegations of widespread human rights abuses during President Rodrigo Duterte's Anti-Drug

War Campaign. A recent report by Kishi and Buenaventura (2021) incorporates additional data,

revealing nearly 1,000 events and over 1,100 fatalities from 2016 to the present. This expanded

coverage highlights the civilian toll of the country's war on drugs, exposing a significant gap

between official government figures and the actual casualties.

The report analyzes key trends, emphasizing the inequality in casualty numbers,

and discusses recent developments, including the Philippine Department of Justice's

review of deaths during police anti-drug operations, indicating potential state complicity

in abuses. Despite of former President Duterte's acknowledgment of responsibility and

the government's admission of over 6,000 killings, internal investigations often absolve

officers. ACLED(Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project) data analysis

suggests a significantly higher civilian toll, with at least 7,742 Philippine civilians killed in

anti-drug operations since 2016.

The ICC investigation aims for a comprehensive examination of the anti-drug

campaign events, assessing if systematic and widespread abuses occurred. It explores

the accountability of both state and non-state actors, with the overarching goal of

ensuring justice and addressing the grievances of those affected. The international

community closely monitors this process, sparking questions about the balance

between national sovereignty and international justice. The inquiry's outcome holds

implications not only for the Philippines but also for the broader discourse on human
rights and the role of international institutions in holding perpetrators of egregious

violations accountable.

References

Dyilo, T. L. (n.d.). Britanica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/video/186497/International-

Criminal-Court?fbclid=IwAR0ndxbrkRDTFfEQXffhAxqzCRWZ9PNr-
9MXJbcqaeTeGL70V7CfOkrTAys#:~:text=MATIAS%20HELLMAN%3A%20The%20whole
%20ICC,then%20they%20will%20be%20punished

Roudabeh Kishi, T. B. (2021, November 18). ACLED. Retrieved from acleddata.com:

https://acleddata.com/2021/11/18/the-drug-war-rages-on-in-the-philippines-new-acled-data-
on-the-civilian-toll-state-responsibility-and-shifting-geographies-of-violence/?
fbclid=IwAR0i6W1Of8HSecCCtNoYqZYAObv5LzLv4u9Hab4-yAGCUyGmSF7LvPtb-TI