A prelate said yesterday the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte is a glimmer of hope for the victims of his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs and their families.
In a statement, San Carlos, Negros Occidental Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said this development has given renewed vigor to advocates of peace and justice.
“From the harrowing era of state-sponsored killings that plagued our nation to the recent issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court [ICC] against former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his drug war policy, a glimmer of hope emerges,” he said.
“This development brings a measure of hope and solace to the thousands of families who lost their loved ones during the Duterte regime’s war-on-drugs and war-on-rights, a period marked by impunity and reward-driven killings.”
Alminaza said the former chief executive’s arrest and surrender to the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity is an “initial step towards accountability.”
“We also hope that other perpetrators of this drug war will be brought to justice,” he said.
Alminaza, meanwhile, lamented that some Filipinos still support Duterte’s violent anti-drug campaign.
“They remain blinded by the false narrative that criminality and drug addiction can be eradicated through death and execution,” he said.
“I pray for them even as I challenge them to rethink their position, as some have already done! Impunity has long gripped the Philippines. Former President Duterte’s penchant to kill and slaughter flourished under these conditions. Holding him accountable will be a warning to other leaders who want to unleash human rights violations in the future,” the Catholic prelate added.
Alminaza said the Catholic Church was among the staunch opponents of the previous administration’s bloody drug war.
“However, we must also recognize the complicity of those who enabled these atrocities. Thus, we must engage in a critical re-evaluation of our values as believers, reaffirming our commitment to the sanctity of all life,” he added.
Duterte is currently at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague, Netherlands.
The ICC set the next hearing to confirm Duterte’s charges on September 23. (PNA)