PANAY Alliance Karapatan (PAK) strongly condemns and expresses its utmost outrage at former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s attempt to evade accountability by seeking to have his appearance at the confirmation of charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) waived. His statement is filled with self-serving claims and recycled narratives of political persecution, and it is glaringly devoid of remorse, apology, or acknowledgment of the thousands of lives lost under his bloody administration.
The victims and their families deserve to see him face the Court. They deserve to look him in the eyes as the charges against him are read—charges arising from the widespread and systematic killings carried out under his fake and anti-poor “war on drugs.”
Before the International Criminal Court, Rodrigo Duterte faces allegations of crimes against humanity, particularly murder committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. The charges assert that these killings were carried out pursuant to a state policy that deliberately targeted civilians under the guise of anti-drug operations.
He is further accused of bearing responsibility as a superior and indirect co-perpetrator for the deaths carried out by state security forces and vigilante groups operating within the framework of his administration’s bloody campaign.
Duterte’s attempt to paint himself as a victim of “kidnapping” is another calculated ploy by the Duterte camp to distort reality and evade responsibility. It was Duterte and his loyal machinery who weaponized state power, emboldened abusive forces, and fostered a climate of impunity that claimed the lives and futures of thousands of Filipinos, including many of our youth.
The true victims are the families who buried their loved ones without justice, the children who were orphaned, and the communities left traumatized by nightly police operations and vigilante-style executions.
Rodrigo Duterte ordered extrajudicial killings not only through the war on drugs, but also through the war on dissent, with the same template of warrantless raids and planted evidence against those accused as insurgents. Here in Panay, we have felt the brutality of his regime. At least 30 Panayanons were killed during Duterte’s presidency, with 15 killings recorded in 2020 alone.
Beyond those killed, scores were arbitrarily arrested and charged with fabricated cases. Many political prisoners remain detained on trumped-up charges filed during his administration, part of the same system of repression and red-tagging that flourished under his rule.
We stand firmly with the families of the victims in their long and painful journey for justice. We call on the ICC to proceed resolutely and without delay in the confirmation of charges and to ensure that justice moves forward without intimidation or political interference. The Philippine government must fully cooperate with the ICC process and cease any attempts to obstruct or undermine the pursuit of accountability.
We likewise call on the Filipino people to remain vigilant against disinformation campaigns that seek to distort the truth, rewrite history, and erase the suffering of the victims and their families.
Finally, we enjoin human rights defenders and all democratic forces to intensify the call for accountability—not only for Rodrigo Duterte but for all perpetrators of extrajudicial killings and grave human rights violations that persist under the Marcos Jr. administration.
Justice cannot be waived. Accountability cannot be avoided by absence. No political maneuvering can erase the bloodshed of state-sponsored violence.
Duterte must face the charges.
Justice for the victims of Duterte’s drug war and counterinsurgency campaign!
Justice for all victims of extrajudicial killings!
End impunity now! – PANAY ALLIANCE KARAPATAN <panaykarapatan@gmail.com>
