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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Huwag siyang maging duwag': De Lima taunts Duterte as Kaufman leaves ex-president's defense team

'Huwag siyang maging duwag': De Lima taunts Duterte as Kaufman leaves ex-president's defense team

Published May 9, 2026 02:08 pm

At A Glance

  • Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima says Rodrigo Duterte's accountability before the ICC would continue regardless of his decision to replace lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, stressing that Duterte himself admitted responsibility for thousands of killings.
  • Kaufman formally withdrew as lead counsel effective March 31, 2026, and noted that Duterte had already secured a replacement lawyer to attend the May 27 status conference in the crimes against humanity case.
  • De Lima argued that no lawyer could make strong evidence disappear.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (PPAB)
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (PPAB)


Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima taunted former president Rodrigo Duterte amid lawyer Nicholas Kaufman's decision to withdraw as his lead counsel in his high-profile International Criminal Court (ICC) case.
For one thing, De Lima--the House senior deputy minority leader--said it doesn't matter who Duterte chooses to be his new lawyer.
"Sinuman ang maging abogado nya, tuloy ang pagpapanagot kay Duterte hanggang makamit ang hustisya," she said in a statement Saturday, May 9.
(Whoever becomes hIs lawyer, the effort to hold Duterte accountable will continue until justice is achieved.)
"Siya rin naman ang nagsabi na handa siyang managot sa libo-libong Pilipino na pinapatay niya sa mga pulis at mga death squads. Huwag siyang maging duwag sa pagharap sa pananagutan," added the former senator and Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary.
(He himself said that he was ready to answer for the thousands of Filipinos killed by the police and death squads. He must not be cowardly in facing responsibility.)
On late Friday night (Philippine time), it was reported that Kaufman had formally requested permission to withdraw from the former leader’s legal team as the crimes against humanity case moves closer to trial.
In a filing dated May 8, Kaufman said his engagement as Duterte’s counsel “terminated on 31 March 2026.”
“Yesterday, the Defence team visited Mr. Duterte and documented both Mr. Duterte’s release of Counsel from his representation and his desire to hire replacement Counsel,” the filing stated.
Kaufman said a replacement lawyer, whose identity was redacted in the public document, had already agreed to immediately assume representation and attend the status conference scheduled on May 27.
To this, De Lima said: "This is a bitter lesson for ICC lawyers defending enemies of mankind at the ICC."
"There is no magic in legal practice that will enable the lawyer to make the evidence disappear. When the evidence is strong, the only viable legal strategy is procedural attack and public appeal," she said.
"Unfortunately for the defense, all the professional and experienced ICC judges are not susceptible to both, and the defense lawyers know this.
"They also know there is no magical legal incantation that can change this. It is therefore highly doubtful that Duterte's new lawyer will perform any differently from Kaufman," De Lima further said.
Duterte’s case is in connection with the bloody war on drugs during his tenure as Philippine president from 2016 to 2022.

Related Tags

Leila de Lima Nicholai Go Rodrigo Duterte ICC
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