‘A long-awaited step toward justice,’ kin of ‘war-on-drugs’ victims applaud Duterte’s arrest
“There are mixed emotions among all the families of the victims. We hope that Bato and Go will be included as well. This is the day of reckoning for the powerful Duterte, who mercilessly took the lives of our loved ones.”
MANILA – Families of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called war on drugs are elated with the news of his arrest today, March 11.
In a statement, Llore Pasco of Rise Up for Life and for Rights said they welcome Duterte’s arrest which they have been hoping for a long time.
Read: ‘Long wait for justice is finally coming to light’ – kin of drug-related killings
“We have long been waiting and deeply hoping that the news and reports we read are finally true. It is time for Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to fulfill his role/obligation to hold Duterte accountable. He needs to act now, with Duterte in the hands of our government [through Interpol],” Pasco said in Filipino.
Pasco lost her two sons, Crisanto and Juan Carlos, in 2017.
Police arrested Duterte upon his arrival from Hong Kong at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This is after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity committed between July 1, 2016 and March 16, 2016 or the period when the Philippines was still a member of the Rome Statute.
In a statement, Presidential Communications Office confirmed that the Prosecutor General presented the ICC notification for an arrest warrant against Duterte for crimes against humanity upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
It will be remembered that the Philippines, under the administration of Duterte, withdrew from the Rome Statute on March 17, 2018. But the ICC retains jurisdiction over the alleged crimes that have occurred in the Philippines during the period when it was still a State Party to the Statute which is from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
Read: ICC finds ‘reasonable basis’ to probe drug-related killings in PH
“There is no comparison to the joy I feel right now, along with tears of happiness, because of Duterte’s arrest,” said Dahlia Cuartero, also a relative of a victim of Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, Jane Lee who lost her husband in 2017, said that this is the start of justice moving forward. “There are mixed emotions among all the families of the victims. We hope that Bato and Go will be included as well. This is the day of reckoning for the powerful Duterte, who mercilessly took the lives of our loved ones,” Lee said, referring to Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Bong Go.
‘No individual is above accountability’
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said the long-overdue arrest of Duterte marks a crucial step toward justice.
“It serves as a powerful reminder that no individual, no matter how powerful—even a former president—is above accountability,” NUPL said in a statement.
“But Duterte’s arrest is not just about one man; it is about ensuring that those in power cannot wield authority as a weapon against the people. This moment must serve as a stark warning to all public officials who believe they can trample on human rights without consequence,” they added.
NUPL Chairperson and International Association of Democratic Lawyers Co-President Edre Olalia also said, “Self-righteous tyrants like Duterte fall from their pedestals with the collective pushback over the years. But not without cost and sacrifice. Now, enablers must also come next in line as justice must be served after a long wait.”
Human rights group Karapatan, meanwhile, stressed that Duterte must also be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings of activists and revolutionaries, especially those who were rendered as hors de combat or those who lost the capacity to fight.
“Both his anti-drug war and his counter-insurgency drive were essentially anti-poor and replete with horrendous violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” Karapatan said in a statement.
Read: The state-approved art of desecration
They added that Duterte should also eventually “be held accountable for multiple acts of corruption, the most despicable of which were perpetrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he callously exploited the people’s vulnerability and the challenges faced by the protest movement.”
Karapatan said that with Duterte’s arrest, “the Filipino people are hopefully a step closer to attaining justice and accountability for Duterte’s many crimes.”
“They will be closely watching the Marcos Jr. regime’s next moves to make sure that Duterte does not receive VIP treatment and is not given the opportunity to escape detention,” they said.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Chairperson and Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño meanwhile said, “The road to justice has been long and difficult—beginning with the courageous decision of Duterte’s victims to file a case with the ICC, the body’s meticulous investigations despite the Philippine government’s lack of cooperation and effort to sabotage its efforts, now culminating with Interpol serving the arrest warrant against Duterte.”
While this may be a victory, the fight is still not over as Duterte’s conspirators are still at large, Casiño said. “There is still the grueling trial ahead. Many lives were lost, and even now, extrajudicial killings and red-tagging continue, even though Duterte is no longer in power.”
Neri Colmenares, former Bayan Muna Congressman and co-counsel for the families of the victims of the so-called war on drugs, said, “We must ensure that the justice process will be fair and comprehensive. Not only should Duterte be held accountable, but also all the architects and implementers of this bloody policy.”
He said that they have been calling for Duterte to be held accountable, to face the courts and answer for his crimes. “This is not about political vendetta but about justice. The families of EJK victims have waited far too long for this day to come,” Colmenares said. (RVO)
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