\n As former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte stated his name for the International Criminal Court on Friday, a murmur of disdain crept through a cramped room in a Manila church.\n<\/p>\n
\n Eight women sat watching a video stream of the proceedings, some clutching photos of a husband or son lost to the brutal drug crackdown that was the signature policy of Duterte's presidency.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 79-year-old, who was allowed to appear remotely, stands accused of crimes against humanity for the years-long campaign, which rights groups say killed thousands of mostly poor men.\n<\/p>\n
\n The widows and mothers who gathered thousands of miles away were told beforehand their former president would be required to say little beyond his name.\n<\/p>\n
\n But Duterte's name was enough to \"cause us fear and disdain\", said Normita Lopez, 60, who could later be heard weeping in the audience.\n<\/p>\n
\n Philippine police shot her son five times for \"fighting back\", a phrase used to justify the killings of alleged drug suspects.\n<\/p>\n
\n The decision to let Duterte appear via video link from his detention centre after his long flight from Manila drew derision from some in the small audience.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"He doesn't look tired to me,\" one woman shouted at the screen.\n<\/p>\n
\n Boos and jeers accompanied lawyer Salvador Medialdea's claim his client's transfer to The Hague was a \"simple kidnapping\".\n<\/p>\n
\n Sheerah Escudero, whose brother Ephraim was abducted and later found dead during the crackdown, said the fact Duterte was receiving a trial only underscored the injustice.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Us, my brother, did we ever get to experience that human right?\" she asked following the screening.\n<\/p>\n
\n Jane Lee, whose husband was killed in the drug war, said she was barely able to contain her rage at the sight of the former president's face.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"When I saw him, I was so angry I could barely control myself,\" the 42-year-old said, recalling how she had once watched him laugh at the mention of victims during a Senate hearing.\n<\/p>\n
\n As the stream of the ICC session came to an end, a loud sigh erupted as the judge explained the next hearing would not be held for six months.\n<\/p>\n
\n But Lee told attendees the group would use that window to continue their fight.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We hope that he won't come back to the Philippines, so that somehow we can have a taste of peace,\" she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte stated his name for the International Criminal Court on Friday, a murmur of disdain crept through a cramped room in a Manila church. Eight women sat watching a video stream of the proceedings, some clutching photos of a husband or son lost to the brutal drug crackdown that was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-142842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n