Philippine ex-President Duterte appears by video link at International Criminal Court hearing

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Jailed former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared Friday by videoconference before judges at the International Criminal Court, days after his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to the deadly “ war on drugs ” that he oversaw while in office.

The 79-year-old Duterte didn't show up at the court in The Hague, but appeared on a video screen from the detention center where he is being held, about a mile (1½ kilometers) away.

For families of victims of the drugs crackdown, Duterte's appearance in court was a long-awaited sign of hope. Duterte's vocal supporters call the arrest illegal.

His lawyer, Salvador Medialdea, used the hearing to slam his arrest in Manila as a “pure and simple kidnapping.” He said Duterte “was denied all access to the legal recourse in the country of his citizenship, and this all in the nature of political score-settling.”

Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc set a pretrial hearing date of Sept. 23 to establish if prosecution evidence is strong enough to merit sending the case to trial. If a trial does go ahead, it could take years, and if Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported and up to 30,000, according to numbers from human rights groups.

The ICC judge said that Duterte had been allowed to participate in his first hearing by videoconference because he had just come off a long flight.

Duterte, wearing a jacket and tie, listened to the hearing through headphones, often with his eyes closed. He spoke in English to confirm his name, and his date and place of birth. He was not required to enter a plea. The hearing, which started about a half-hour late, lasted around 30 minutes.

Medialdea said that Duterte had been under observation at a hospital because of health issues.

The judge, addressing Duterte, said: “The court doctor was of the opinion that you were fully mentally aware and fit."

Duterte was arrested Tuesday amid chaotic scenes in the Philippine capital after returning from a visit to Hong Kong. He was swiftly put on a chartered jet and flown to the Netherlands.

His daughter, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, visited him in the court's detention center Friday and met with supporters outside the court. Duterte is a political rival of the current president.

She said her father is ″in good spirits″ and ″well taken care of,″ and his only complaint about his conditions is that he misses Filipino food.

She too decried what she called a political arrest. ″There will be a day of reckoning for all,″ she said, as excited crowds around her chanted ″Duterte!″ and ″yes, yes!″

Meanwhile, activists marched in the Philippine capital region, demanding justice for the thousands of suspects killed in Duterte’s brutal crackdowns. Families of those killed watched the ICC proceedings on screens set up around the country, some holding portraits of their slain loved ones, as they listened to charges read out against Duterte in a courtroom across the world.

Prosecutors accuse Duterte of involvement as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in multiple murders, amounting to a crime against humanity for allegedly overseeing killings from November 2011 until March 2019, first while he was mayor of the southern city of Davao and later as president of the Philippines.

According to the prosecution request for his arrest, Duterte, as Davao mayor, issued orders to police and other “hitmen” who formed so-called Davao Death Squads, or DDS.

He told them “that their mission was to kill criminals, including drug dealers, and provided clearance for specific DDS killings,” prosecutors allege, adding that he recruited, paid and rewarded the killers and “provided them with the necessary weapons and resources, and promised to shield them from prosecution.”

The document seeking an ICC warrant for Duterte said that prosecutors built their case using evidence including witness testimony, speeches by Duterte himself, government documents and video footage.

Human rights groups and victims' families have hailed Duterte’s arrest as a historic triumph against state impunity, while the former president's supporters have slammed what they call the government’s surrender of a political rival to a court whose jurisdiction they dispute.

“We are happy and we feel relieved,” said 55-year-old Melinda Abion Lafuente, mother of 22-year-old Angelo Lafuente, who she said was tortured and killed in 2016.

"Duterte’s appearance before the ICC is a testament to the courage and determination of the victims, their families, and Filipino activists and journalists to pursue justice no matter how long it takes,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Other leaders facing ICC arrest warrants, like (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu, should take note that even those who seem untouchable today can end up in The Hague.”

Duterte’s legal team said that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration shouldn't have allowed the global court to take custody of the former leader because the Philippines is no longer a party to the ICC.

Medialdea said that “two troubled entities struck an unlikely alliance. An incumbent president who wishes to neutralize and choke the legacy of my client and his daughter," and "a troubled legal institution subject to delegitimization.”

Judges who approved Duterte’s arrest warrant said that the court has jurisdiction because the crimes alleged in the warrant were committed before Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the court in 2019.

Jim Gomez, Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines, and Ahmad Seir in The Hague contributed to this report.

Relatives of victims of the drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte and activists watch a broadcast of his first appearance at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as they gather in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

An activist holds a slogan as they watch a broadcast of the first appearance at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of former President Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Duterte's lawyer Salvador Medialdea waits for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to appear via video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea seated left, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, left, talks to Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang as they wait for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to appear via video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Duterte's lawyer Salvador Medialdea, right, talks to Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, left, before former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared via video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Presiding judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc enters the courtroom where Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared by video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

A protester holds a slogan as people call for justice for victims of the war on drugs during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Protesters hold pictures of former President Rodrigo Duterte's as they call for justice to victims of the war on drugs during his administration in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Protesters hold pictures of former President Rodrigo Duterte's as they call for justice to victims of the war on drugs during his administration in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea seated left, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

A protester speaks in front of pictures of former President Rodrigo Duterte's as they call for justice to victims of the war on drugs during his administration in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Protesters hold an illustration of former President Rodrigo Duterte behind bars as they call for justice to victims of the war on drugs during his administration in Quezon city, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea seated left, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

FILE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stands in front of the presidential seal during a ceremony with the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on July 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Supporters of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wave a flag and banner during a demonstration outside the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Supporters of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hold flags and banners during a demonstration outside the International Criminal Court detention center near The Hague in Scheveningen, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

FILE - A plane carrying former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague takes off in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to cut 10,000 workers and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget and he’ll do that working with Elon Musk ’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to a letter sent to members of Congress on Thursday.

DOGE will assist USPS with addressing “big problems” at the $78 billion-a-year agency, which has sometimes struggled in recent years to stay afloat. The agreement also includes the General Services Administration in an effort to help the Postal Service identify and achieve "further efficiencies.”

USPS listed such issues as mismanagement of the agency's retirement assets and Workers’ Compensation Program, as well as an array of regulatory requirements that the letter described as “restricting normal business practice.”

“This is an effort aligned with our efforts, as while we have accomplished a great deal, there is much more to be done,” DeJoy wrote.

Critics of the agreement fear negative effects of the cuts will be felt across America. Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, who was sent the letter, said turning over the Postal Service to DOGE would result in it being undermined and privatized.

“This capitulation will have catastrophic consequences for all Americans — especially those in rural and hard to reach areas — who rely on the Postal Service every day to deliver mail, medications, ballots, and more,” he said in a statement.

USPS currently employs about 640,000 workers tasked with making deliveries from inner cities to rural areas and even far-flung islands.

The service plans to cut 10,000 employees in the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program, according to the letter. The USPS announced the plan during the final days of the Biden administration in January but at the time didn’t include the number of workers expected to leave.

Neither the USPS nor the Trump administration immediately responded to emails from The Associated Press requesting comment.

The agency previously announced plans to cut its operating costs by more than $3.5 billion annually. And this isn't the first time thousands of employees have been cut. In 2021, the agency cut 30,000 workers.

As the service that has operated as an independent entity since 1970 has struggled to balance the books with the decline of first-class mail, it has fought calls from President Donald Trump and others that it be privatized. Last month, Trump said he may put USPS under the control of the Commerce Department in what would be an executive branch takeover.

The National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian L. Renfroe said in a statement in response to Thursday's letter that they welcome anyone's help with addressing some of the agency's biggest problems but stood firmly against any move to privatize the Postal Service.

“Common sense solutions are what the Postal Service needs, not privatization efforts that will threaten 640,000 postal employees’ jobs, 7.9 million jobs tied to our work, and the universal service every American relies on daily,” he said.

DeJoy, a Republican donor who owned a logistics business, was appointed to lead USPS during Trump’s first term in 2020. He has faced repeated challenges during his tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic, surges in mail-in election ballots and efforts to stem losses through cost and service cuts.

This story has been updated to make clear that the voluntary early retirement program being used to make the job cuts was announced in January and is not a result of the agreement with the Department of Government Efficiency.

FILE - Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies before a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on the Postal Service on Capitol Hill, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Washington. (Tom Brenner/Pool via AP,File)