MANILA, Philippines – Several relatives of those killed during the government’s anti-drug campaign denounced Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday, Aug. 6, after she questioned whether those in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case were truly victims, calling her remarks painful and insulting to families still seeking justice.
“My children are already dead, and we parents will be the ones to find justice,” said Emily, whose son Angelito was among seven people killed in the 2016 Caloocan massacre.
Dahlia, whose son Jesus was killed during a buy-bust operation in March 2019, said Duterte’s remarks ignored the suffering of bereaved families.
“So much blood was shed from so many victims of Tokhang,” she said. “We want truth and justice for why this happened to our children.”
Llore, whose sons Crisanto and Juan Carlos were found dead in a funeral home after going missing in May 2017, described the vice president as harsh and dismissive toward the poor.
“She views the poor as trash, clutter that should be swept away,” Llore said. “Her statement is alarming and distressful for us families of victims.”
The condemnations came in response to the vice president’s speech at a “Free Duterte” rally outside the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 29. During her address, the vice president questioned whether those included in the ICC case against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, were genuine victims of the anti-drug campaign.
“They cannot even say right now if the victims are truly victims of the drug war because gun violence is so common in the Philippines,” the vice president said.
She also argued that not all killings cited by complainants could be linked to government operations. “It can be a crime of passion. It can be murder because of a third party in a relationship. It can be a plain hold-up,” she said.
“How a program is implemented—whether there were mistakes, errors, it was a bad program—is not a crime against humanity,” she added.
The Rise Up for Life and for Rights (Rise Up) coalition also condemned the remarks, saying the vice president’s speech “belittled the memory” of victims’ families and denied years of their search for justice.
“The speech of VP Sara claiming her father committed no crime is a lie—fake news,” the group said in a statement.
Rise Up maintained that the ICC case was built on evidence gathered during an investigation that began in 2017 following communications filed before the tribunal.
Families of drug war victims have spent nearly a decade seeking truth, justice and accountability, the group said.
The coalition also noted that victims’ families have continued speaking out despite fear, joining protests, congressional proceedings and legal efforts in pursuit of justice.
Former President Duterte has been in ICC custody for more than a year after being arrested in the Philippines and transferred to The Hague to face charges of alleged crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign as president and as former Davao City mayor.
Rise Up also criticized the vice president for delivering a speech against the ICC while impeachment proceedings against her remain pending before the Senate.
The group called on the Marcos administration to take the impeachment trial seriously and ensure accountability in both domestic and international legal processes. (davaotoday.com)
