New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity, has missed a series of hearings since his arrest last year. Medical reasons were cited for his absence but the court's judges ruled in January that he was healthy enough to stand trial.

Duterte's charges stem from his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs while in office, first as the mayor of a southern city in the Philippines and later as president. He denies the charges against him.

"We would expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless there's some medical issue," Judge Joanna Korner said during a pre-trial hearing in June.

Wednesday's hearing is to discuss evidence disclosure and come up with a timetable for the tria...