A Catholic Cardinal led the launch of an independent Truth Commission on extrajudicial killings in the country during the “war on drugs” campaign of the Rodrigo Duterte presidency.
Caloocan Archbishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David said that even with Duterte about to face trial with the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, there remains no unified figure on the thousands of deaths in the country.
The creation of the Commission comes as the Philippines marks nearly a decade since drug war-related killings escalated nationwide in 2016 at the start of the Duterte presidency.
The Commission said in its launch in Manila on Wednesday said that while the violence did not begin in 2016, the scale, persistence, and targeted killings in recent years have left thousands of families still seeking truth, justice and healing.
The leaders said it invites families of those killed, particularly whose cases are not included in the sampling certified by the ICC for its trial, to come forward and let their stories be heard.
“The Truth Commission was created to ensure that the stories of victims, survivors, and families are heard, verified, and preserved…It is about building a credible truth record that can guide accountability, healing, reform, and the prevention of future violence,” said Atty. Raul Pangalangan, former ICC judge.
Cardinal David invited members of the Philippine National Police to come forward and tell their stories. “Who knows? They may just have been coerced to participate,” he said.
The Commission is expected to submit periodic reports of its findings and recommendations every six months to appropriate bodies, including the National Police Commission, the Philippine Congress and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The truth must be protected not only as a matter of record, but as a matter of dignity for the families who have carried these stories for years. The Truth Commission exists so these stories can be heard, verified, preserved, and acted upon,” said Cardinal David.
Adamson University president Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario said the Commission’s ultimate aim is to build a more humane Philippines.
Families of victims of extrajudicial killings acknowledged the new initiative it said is important in ascertaining “structural and institutional roots that engendered the thousands of killings in the Philippines.”
Rights group HUSTISYA (Justice), however, said such killings continue under the Marcos Jr. administration, with at least 1,184 drug-related killings as of last count by the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center’s Dahas Project.
“Arbitrary drug lists continue to exist in communities. It is imperative that no one, including the current administration and its State agents, is spared from scrutiny, as the majority of both direct and indirect perpetrators of killings and other rights violations committed in the name of the drug war remain free from accountability,” HUSTISYA said.
The group Rise Up for Life and for Rights meanwhile said they would be asking for an audience with the new Commission body to learn more about their proposals.
“We have high-regard for some of the civil-society leaders named for the panel. We appreciate that they want to help. We all want the truth to come out,” it said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
