International Criminal Court (ICC)-Accredited Lawyer Gilbert Andres stood firm that the search for a sufficient number and appropriate interpreters and translators for Filipino witnesses should not cause another delay in the trial against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
First Status Conference Highlights
During the first status conference in the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte held yesterday (May 27), Trial Chamber III stated that there must be an adequate number of interpreters for the victims of the bloody drug war of the former president who will serve as prosecution witnesses, as well as for the witnesses to be presented by the defense panel. This measure aims to better explain the statements of the Filipinos to be presented by both sides.
Andres: Victims Support Interpreters, But Not at Cost of Delay
For Atty. Andres, who also serves as the Common Legal Representative for the Victims, the victims of the drug war are in favor of having a sufficient number of interpreters. However, the search and training for them should not be a reason to further delay the trial. He noted that the victims also agree that if there are witnesses who can speak in English, they should be presented first to avoid delaying the trial.
Trial Date Set for November 30, 2026
Yesterday, the ICC Trial Chamber III set the start of the trial against the former president for November 30, 2026. Several months before the first status conference, the international tribunal had already been searching for translators of Filipino and Cebuano. According to Atty. Andres, the training of ICC interpreters and translators also takes a long time before they are deployed in court proceedings. He said the court and both sides want real-time translation of the statements of the witnesses to be presented throughout the trial.
