Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), along with progressive groups and human rights advocates, trooped to the House of Representatives as former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte faced intense scrutiny in the 11th Quad committee hearing regarding the extrajudicial killings (EJK) under his bloody drug war campaign.
“It is imperative to implore all officials, past or present, especially Duterte, that those who kill innocent people, those involved in EJKs, must be held accountable. And we are here to show the people that Duterte is not for truth and justice, but is instead covering up his wrongdoings against the people,” said BAYAN Secretary-General Mong Palatino.
In a Senate hearing on October 28, Duterte vowed to take full responsibility for the controversial drug war campaign but further denied accountability for thousands of killings, including innocent individuals, youth, and the most marginalized. He even referred to slain victims as collateral damage.
“If you are the city executive or mayor, everything you ordered that the police carried out, I take responsibility for all the consequences. Even the actions of the police, I’m accountable for that,” Duterte affirmed.
Hold Duterte accountable
“What are Duterte’s offenses? There are the EJKs related to the war on drugs. There’s also the rampant attack on human rights: his Martial Law in Mindanao, his militarized response during the pandemic, the widespread corruption during the pandemic, and his selling of our sovereignty to foreign powers,” Palatino emphasized.
Aside from the numerous victims of EJKs, groups also criticized his criminal negligence toward the Filipino people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the groups, Duterte has only built a legacy of slow and inept responses that afflicted millions of Filipinos, particularly in the healthcare sector and among the marginalized.
“The health sector will never forget the severe corruption that took place during the pandemic, with billions of pesos meant for pandemic response being squandered,” said Albert Pascual of Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD).
Kabataan Partylist also highlighted Duterte’s flawed, unscientific, and militarized lockdown, which caused suffering among Filipino youth.
“The Philippines is one of the countries that spent the longest time in online learning. Nearly three years, and up until now, the youth are still suffering,” said Kabataan Partylist Secretary-General Jolo Labio.
Labio reiterated the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and called for the rechanneling of its funds to the education and healthcare sectors.
Continuing injustice
Since 2016, the number of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims has reached 30,000. Meanwhile, according to rights groups, justice remains elusive despite numerous Quad Committee and Senate hearings on EJKs. They also condemned Duterte’s lack of remorse for his actions.
While demanding accountability for Duterte’s crimes against humanity, they also criticized the current president, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., for his refusal to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“If Marcos Jr.’s administration is serious about pursuing justice, at the very least, it should allow the ICC to do its work. Secondly, all evidence emerging from the Quad Committee hearings, including testimonies, should be used to prosecute those involved in the killings,” Palatino said.
In January this year, Marcos Jr. reiterated that he does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction in investigating drug-war-related killings under Duterte’s administration. Meanwhile, the ICC remains committed to resuming its investigation.
