By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(March 23, 2025) – A human rights advocate on Sunday stressed that seeking justice for victims of the bloody war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte doesn’t equate to supporting criminals.
Carlos Conde, a senior researcher of Human Rights Watch, argued that false arguments only divert attention from the possible crimes against humanity committed by Duterte, who’s now detained in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
“’Bakit niyo pinagtatanggol ang mga adik na ‘yan? Paano ang mga biktima? ‘Di ba kayo naaawa sa kanila?’ Nililihis ng mga tanong na ‘to ang usapin tungkol sa drug war, tungkol dun sa patayan,” said Conde in his video on Facebook. “Ginagamit nito ang dinanas na mga biktima ng krimen para ipagtanggol pa ang mas malaking krimen.”
He furthered that state forces carried out the killings when Duterte implemented his deadly campaign.
“Pagdating sa patayan sa drug war, walang hustisya. Hindi gumagana ang batas. Hindi gumagana ang kapulisan. Ang kapulisan na siyang number one na suspect sa mga patayang ito,” claimed Conde, who’s also a trustee of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.
On Thursday, Department of Justice secretary Boying Remulla revealed that 95% of “wrongful deaths” during Duterte’s brutal war on drugs had no records in the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Human rights groups estimated that around 30,000 individuals were killed, including children. Only a handful of police officers have been convicted.
Some families of the victims and those supporting them have been bashed by Duterte’s supporters online amid the prevalence of fake news and disinformation following the former president’s arrest on March 11.
ALSO READ: ‘Victim-bashing’: Group slams online attacks against drug war victims, ICC official
The ICC set Duterte’s confirmation of charges on September 23.
Conde, meanwhile, urged Filipinos to rally behind the victims of Duterte’s pitiless policy.
“Kung gusto niyo ng hustisya, suportahan niyo itong mga nanay na nawalan ng anak at napakaraming Pilipino na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nila maiayos ‘yung takbo ng buhay nila dahil sa dalamhati,” said Conde.
(PM)
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