The Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental has urged Filipinos to pray and work for justice, following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to answer charges of murder as a crime against humanity.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said this development is an initial step towards accountability and justice for the victims of impunity and reward-driven killings during the Duterte regime’s war on drugs that left thousands of Filipinos in a bloodbath.
“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 against former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity stemming from his drug war policy, a glimmer of hope emerges,” according to Alminaza in a released statement.
Alminaza also expressed hope for the arrest of other perpetrators who deprived alleged drug personalities and activists of proper investigation and fair trial.
“We yearn for justice for the innocent lives extinguished,” he said.
The Bishop noted that he had personally witnessed the consequences of the streak of violence at that time, including presiding over the funeral masses of activists Zara Alvarez, doctor Mary Rose Sancelan, and her husband, who were murdered for their pursuit of justice and peace in Negros Island.
Further, the prelate said he prayed for those who continue to support former President Duterte’s campaign for violence and the narrative that criminality and drug addiction can only be solved through another crime — execution.
“We must engage in a critical re-evaluation of our values as believers, reaffirming our commitment to the sanctity of all life,” Alminaza stressed.
He then reiterated the position of the Church in seeking justice for the victims of the drug war and championing transformative instead of tyrannical solutions to the nation’s social problems.
“From the heart of your shepherd, with all these political confusions, it is my prayer, that we may always be guided to protect life and pursue justice, following God’s sincere pleading in our fragile fraternity ‘Thou shall not kill.’ We continue to pray, hope and work for justice.” (PIA Negros Occidental)