Filipino photojournalists on Thursday defended the integrity of their images, some of which have been presented by the prosecution team at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as evidence of the dark underbelly of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’
“We affirm that these images are authentic, unedited accounts of state-sponsored violence that devastated marginalized communities,” the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) said in a statement amid baseless claims of fabrication.
The PCP stood firmly behind its members who covered the bloody anti-narcotics campaign at great personal risk, listened to the stories of the victims’ relatives, and bore witness to the aftermath of alleged extrajudicial killings during the previous administration.
“We categorically reject and condemn any narrative suggesting these documents are fabricated. Such allegations are an affront to press freedom and a disgrace to the thousands of victims,” the group said.
“These photographs are not merely images; they are crucial evidence for the International Criminal Court and a permanent record of the fight for human rights. The PCP remains resolute in the pursuit of truth and justice for the victims and their families,” the organization emphasized.
The attempt to discredit the photographs is not merely an attack on journalism. It is an assault on historical records. Photojournalists do not manufacture reality; they simply record events as they unfolded.
And in doing so, they perform an essential democratic function—ensuring that even the most uncomfortable truths cannot simply be wished away.
