TWO top lawyers for the defense team of former president Rodrigo Duterte have resigned even as prosecutors and victims’ representatives intensify efforts to keep him detained ahead of trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity in connection to his bloody war on drugs.

In a public urgent filing dated May 8, 2026, before ICC Trial Chamber III, defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman sought permission to withdraw from representing Duterte, saying his one-year engagement had expired on March 31, 2026.