By Diana G. Mendoza
Manila – For many Filipinos watching from home, the scenes are both surreal and genuine – crowds gathered across each other -- one group professing loyalty to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the other demanding accountability and justice for the thousands killed during his anti-drug campaign.
On Sunday night (Manila time), the group Duterte Panagutin, meaning “take responsibility,” held a news conference where Filipino lawyers and activists called for justice and accountability for Duterte’s crimes during his administration from June 2016 to June 2022, with civil society organizations claiming 30,000 extra-judicial killings from his war on drugs.
"For the victims, Duterte’s arrest and trial were once just a pipedream,” said lawyer Kristina Conti of the National Union of People’s Lawyers in the Philippines and assistant counsel of the victims of Duterte’s drug war.
“But as accountability inches closer, the same victims are being revictimized by the relentless misinformation and fake news machinery of Duterte supporters,” she told journalists in the news conference.
“Instead of deterring them, these attacks are further emboldening the victims to speak louder and continue the call for justice for their loved ones," said Conti, reflecting the vicious replay of the same backdrop of Duterte in power and Duterte now in detention.
Duterte, who turns 80 on March 28, was arrested on March 11 by the national police and the Interpol following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court accusing him of crimes against humanity. He would be the first former Philippine head of state to be arrested and face trial.
The former populist leader agreed to be flown to The Hague amid hours-long skirmishes between his entourage and police at the airport in Manila after returning to the Philippines from Hong Kong.
Observers said this was a reversal of fortune for Duterte, who was also known for his misogyny, as his arrest was ordered by the all-women judges of the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I – Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc, and Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan issued the warrant on Feb. 10 for the alleged crimes between Nov. 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019. This was when the Philippines was still part of the ICC and a party to the Rome Statute, and when Duterte was mayor of Davao City and president in 2016.
Police data said Duterte’s brutal anti-drugs crackdown killed more than 6,000 people, but the number could be higher according to independent monitors.
In the press conference held by Europe-based Filipino human rights organizations such as Bayan Europe, Pinay sa Holland-Gabriela, Migrante Europe, Anakbayan-Europe and Angat Pinas, Conti and her colleagues detailed the preparations of victims seeking justice for the thousands killed, and warned against any political maneuvers that obstruct the legal process.
Lawyer Benjie Aquino of international human rights organization Redress, called for international pressure to prevent Duterte from evading prosecution.
“In our ongoing efforts, it's essential to remember our primary focus: the victims. They should remain at the heart of our discussions and actions,” he said, adding that recent engagements with organizations in the Philippines have highlighted a concerning trend.
“The surge in propaganda and disinformation surrounding the case, coupled with online harassment targeting victims have created a hostile environment that has negatively affected victim participation, leading some victims to consider withdrawing due to harassment or misleading information suggesting the case will not prosper,” Aquino said.
Lean Jimenez of Bayan Europe urged the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make the Philippines rejoin the ICC.
“If his intentions to cooperate with the ICC are truly genuine if his intentions are truly meant to serve justice to the victims of Duterte’s crimes, then Marcos Jr. should have no problem returning to the fold and reinstating the Philippine government’s membership to the Rome Statute,” he said.
Jimenez said the former president’s arrest is a crucial step toward justice, but achieving full justice and ensuring that he is held accountable for his atrocities relies on the collective strength of the Filipino people.
“The struggle for justice is not over, and we will continue to fight until all the perpetrators are held to account," Jimenez said.
Lawyer Gilbert Andres of the Center for International Law Philippines who also represents the victims of the drug war, said, “We want to call on all Filipinos to show respect consistent with the value of pakikipagkapwa-tao (human relations) in seeking justice for fellow Filipinos who were victims of Duterte’s drug war.” The Filipino term means showing love and concern for your countryman.
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