Former President Rodrigo Duterte
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Former President for alleged human rights abuses shows that no one is above the law, several House of Representatives lawmakers said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that Duterte鈥檚 arrest, based on an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is also a step towards justice and healing for the relatives of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims.
Duterte was held earlier at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, after the Philippine National Police (PNP) assisted in implementing the International Criminal Police Organization red notice for the ICC arrest order.
This is for the crimes against humanity of mass murder charges filed against the ex-president.
鈥淭his is proof that, in this country, no one is above the law. The former president鈥檚 arrest is a step towards justice for families who have lost loved ones because of EJKs,鈥� Barbers said in Filipino.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for the country to heal. The first step to healing is to recognize the mistakes of the past and [obtain] justice for the victims,鈥� he added.
According to Barbers, Duterte allowed a culture of impunity within the police force instead of stopping it鈥攁 claim that was also uncovered during the investigation conducted by the House quad committee.
鈥淚nstead of promoting justice, it encouraged the culture of impunity among law enforcers who overlooked the law and promoted violence, which resulted in the death[s] of innocent citizens,鈥� Barbers, [the] lead presiding officer of the quad committee, noted.
鈥淭he arrest is not just about one person. This is about regaining public trust in justice and ensuring that abuses in the past and present will not be repeated,鈥� he added.
Several official and independent investigations of the drug war have shown that there were many instances where innocent individuals were dragged into the anti-drug operations.
In August 2017, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was summarily executed in Caloocan City, even though he was not the original target of the operation.
The three police officers involved in the killing of delos Santos were convicted of murder.
In August 2024, the quad committee started an extensive probe into the drug war and other issues.聽 The four panels eventually recommended the filing of crimes against humanity complaints against Duterte and his key allies for allegedly committing EJKs in the anti-drug campaign.
In one of the hearings, it was revealed by former Police Col. Royina Garma that Duterte called him in May 2016 about setting up a reward system for police officers who would kill drug suspects.
Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, senior vice chairperson of the quad committee, said that hearings have uncovered tracks to a 鈥済rand criminal enterprise鈥� with Duterte at the center of it.
In a separate press briefing earlier, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said that the quad committee was significant in unearthing more evidence against Duterte.
鈥淣ow, what鈥檚 the participation of the quad comm? Since the quad comm started in 2024, we have discovered a lot 鈥斅� things that are saddening. The victims of this drug war, EJKs, found a voice,鈥� she said.
鈥淎nd I would say that actually strengthened the case against the former president, and during those hearings, by his own admission, the former president also mentioned that he did have a role, that he did order many of the killings, in fact I couldn鈥檛 believe it when I heard and I saw it on television that he really had people killed,鈥� she added.