The Commission on Human Rights urged the government on Tuesday to ensure the safety of the families of alleged extrajudicial killing victims after former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on the back of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
In a statement, the CHR emphasized the importance of protecting victims’ voices to uphold a fair and impartial legal process. The commission also reaffirmed its commitment to seeking accountability for human rights violations linked to Duterte’s war on drugs.
Rise Up for Life and for Rights (Rise Up), a group of families and advocates of EJK victims under Duterte’s drug war, shared initial reactions from some victims’ families on Facebook.
“Welcome!”—These are the words spoken by the families of those killed during Duterte’s time,” said Llore Pasco, the mother of two drug war victims.
Pasco called on the Marcos administration to ensure that Duterte is held accountable for launching the drug war, which disproportionately targeted poor Filipinos.
“We strongly hope to achieve the long-awaited justice for all victims! Hold Duterte accountable!” she added.
Prayers of thanksgiving mingled with quiet sobs on Tuesday as family members of people slain during Duterte’s drug war gathered for a mass celebrating his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity.
Widows and mothers carefully placed framed photographs of their dead husbands and sons in front of the altar at the Sacred Heart Parish in Quezon City, casualties of a crackdown that activists say killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men.
The women said Duterte’s arrest on Tuesday morning was an “answered prayer.”
Father Flaviano Villanueva, a Catholic priest and fierce opponent of the drug war, recalled in his homily the despair the relatives felt while waiting for justice, likening news of Duterte’s arrest to a long-closed prison cell finally being flung open.
“I hope this arrest will pave the way for the complete healing of our country, for people to remember that justice will prevail,” Villanueva said in an interview after his sermon.
Luzviminda Dela Cruz, whose 19-year-old son was killed by police after a raid on a relative’s house in 2017, said she felt relieved that “my son has now achieved justice.”
“I feel a kind of happiness that I cannot explain. I have been praying for this every day,” said Dela Cruz, who wore a sky-blue shirt printed with the word “justice.”
For Sofia Joveres, a widow who participated in the mass, Duterte’s arrest was “proof that the Lord listens to us,” although she said she was “not completely happy.”
“I honestly don’t feel that happy because, even if Duterte was arrested, it can’t bring back the life of my husband that they heartlessly took away in the drug war,” the 45-year-old said through tears.
Joveres said her husband was forcibly brought out of their home in Manila by about a dozen uniformed and plainclothes police officers in 2016.
She said her neighbors told her that police ordered her husband to run as fast as he could before gunning him down.
Joveres said one of her prayers in Tuesday’s mass was for Duterte to own up to his responsibility and pay for the crimes committed in the name of his drug war.
“It’s important that Duterte admits that, because he was the root of all the pain and violence that we endured,” Joveres said. With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “CHR urges protection for EJK victims’ families after Duterte falls.”