Families of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign said his public pronouncements fueled the killings that claimed their relatives’ lives, as proceedings continued at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed in May 2017, said Duterte’s repeated statements encouraged violence.
“Ang mga salita niya ang pumatay sa aming mga mahal sa buhay. Paulit-ulit niyang ipinag-utos na ubusin ang mga adik, at pinangakuan ng proteksyon ang mga pulis na sangkot sa mga pagpaslang,” Pasco said.
(Duterte’s words killed our loved ones. He repeatedly ordered the wiping out of drug addicts, and he promised protection to the police involved in the killings.)
Pasco is among the representatives of Rise Up for Life and for Rights who attended the pre-trial confirmation of charges hearing.
The group said that on the second day of the hearing, prosecutors played a video clip of Duterte joking about “extrajudicial killings” during a speech. A prosecutor noted that nearly 1,500 people had already been killed at the time the video was recorded.
“Nakakapangilabot marinig ang boses ni Duterte. Hindi joke ang mawalan ng dalawang anak. Dapat siyang magbayad sa kanyang mga krimen,” Pasco added.
(It’s horrifying to hear Duterte’s voice. It’s no joke to lose two sons. He should pay for his crimes.)
Emily Soriano, who lost her 15-year-old son Angelito in the anti-drug campaign, said she relived her trauma as prosecutors described the alleged manner of killing.
“The police wrapped the child’s head in packing tape so no one could hear them scream, and then strangled the child to death with wire,” a prosecutor said during the hearing.
“Ramdam pa rin namin ang sakit pero nagpapasalamat din kami na sa wakas ay naririnig ng buong mundo ang aming mga kwento. Libo-libo kaming naghintay na dumating ang araw na ito,” Soriano said.
(We still feel the pain, but we are grateful that the whole world can now hear our stories. Thousands of us waited for this day to come.)
Rubylin Litao, national coordinator of Rise Up for Life and for Rights, said the prosecution and common legal representatives argued that the killings constituted a “widespread and systematic attack” against civilians.
Prosecutors told the court the killings were “highly organized, planned and coordinated” and would not have occurred without Duterte’s “essential contribution.”
Litao cited what she referred to as the “PRRD List,” which she described as a “death list,” and a Philippine National Police memorandum directing officers to neutralize drug suspects as evidence of a state policy.
“We are hoping that the ICC will confirm all the charges against Duterte and the trial will proceed soon,” she said.
