The Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) agreed with the recommendation of the prosecution to begin the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte on November 30, 2026.

The date was set during the first status conference of the ICC on Wednesday, where issues related to the preparations for the trial were discussed.

"As regards, first of all, the length to the decisions we've come to the start of trial, we are prepared to accede to the prosecution's application of the 30th of November as the start of trial," Judge Joanna Korner said during the third session of the first status conference of the ICC

.She also urged the Registry of the ICC to make necessary arrangements to make sure that the opening statements during the start of the trial can be understood by Filipinos

."We very much also urge the Registry to make the necessary arrangements so that for the opening statements at the end of November there can be interpretation, even if there is not a sufficient pool of interpreters for witnesses. I think it's important that opening statements can be understood by those in the Philippines," said Korner.

"So the deadlines for the prosecution in the meet up to trial, the prosecution provisional list of witnesses and evidence by the 29th of June, its trial brief final list of witnesses and list of with evidence relied upon in the trial 31st of August, which is three months before the trial," she added.

However, Korner also emphasized the need to wait for the medical reports that would determine Duterte's fitness to stand the trial.

"We have to wait for the report on the accused fitness, and they will specifically be asked to if they find him fit to stand trial, but the proposed sitting, the Chamber would obviously like to sit subject to witness problems five days a week, but we note the recommendations that were made for the confirmation hearing, and so it may well be that we'll have to adjust it if we have to have a day for the accused not to be in court each week," she said.

"That doesn't necessarily mean it won't be a sitting day, because we can use that day to deal with any administrative matters or any legal arguments that are due to take place, subject of course to the accused waiving his right to be present, so effectively at the moment, as I say, subject to what reports we get, it should be taken by all parties, participants in the Registry, that will be sitting continuously until the recess at Christmas," she added.

The ICC noted that "before the opening of the trial, the Chamber will address all pending matters and adopt the procedures necessary to facilitate the fair and expeditious conduct of the proceedings." Robina Asido/PHS