00:00Former President Rodrigo Duterte has made a last-minute request to skip his confirmation
00:05of charges hearings in person. This raises questions for a pre-trial that had previously
00:09appeared ready to proceed. Duterte says in the letter, quote,
00:13I am old, tired, and frail. I wish for this court to respect my peace inside the cell it has
00:18placed
00:19me. His lawyer, Nicolas Kaufman, also says they made the request earlier but were constrained
00:24to only file Wednesday because the pre-trial chamber requested Duterte to personally sign
00:29the waiver. The first day of hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 23, giving the International
00:34Criminal Court pre-trial chamber judges only until Friday, February 20. Under the ICC rules,
00:40the chamber may proceed with the hearings even without Duterte if there is a legal basis.
00:45They could also deny the request and order him to appear. Meantime, Mamamayang Liberal
00:50Representative Laila de Lima says Duterte's refusal to attend is part of his strategy to appear unfit
00:55for trial and only proves he is sound of mind.
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