House leaders welcome action

Members of the House of Representatives critical of the previous administration’s deadly drug war welcomed the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on a charge of crimes against humanity.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. called Duterte’s arrest a definitive sign that the international community “will not tolerate crimes against humanity.”

He urged Duterte’s supporters to refrain from politicizing the arrest, asserting that the Philippine government must respect international law and not protect those accused of human rights violations.

“The ICC operates based on evidence, not politics. This is about justice, accountability, and upholding human rights,” Gonzales stressed. “No leader can escape justice forever. Duterte must face the consequences of his actions.”

Quad Committee Chairperson Ace Barbers, who led the parallel probe into Duterte’s drug war, called the arrest a “pivotal” step toward justice.

The panel’s investigation found that policemen were allegedly given monetary rewards for killing drug suspects, which influenced the authorities to kill as many suspects as possible.

“Instead of promoting justice, it fostered a culture of impunity,” Barbers said, emphasizing that innocent citizens died as a result.

House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V noted that while there had been a delay in delivering justice to the victims’ families, Duterte’s arrest marked a significant step toward long-awaited justice.

“Justice has no expiration date. The thousands of lives lost in the bloody war on drugs deserve to be remembered,” Ortega stated. “Instead of playing the victim, Duterte should answer for his actions.”

The Young Guns, including Taguig Rep. Amparo Maria “Pammy” Zamora, Zambales Rep. Jefferson Khonghun, and Ako Bicol Rep. Jil Bongalon, hailed the arrest as a “victory for justice and accountability.”

“The ICC warrant is not symbolic — it sends a clear message that no one is untouchable, not even a former president,” they said.

Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, a long-time advocate for human rights, emphasized that the arrest was a necessary reckoning for Duterte, who must take full responsibility for the thousands of deaths in his “morally bankrupt” drug war.

“The day of reckoning has come. The world now sees your legacy for what it is — grave human rights abuses and rampant corruption,” Cendaña said. “Your crimes against humanity will follow you.”

Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel remarked that Duterte should be grateful to have been calmly apprehended, unlike the victims of his war on drugs, who were executed without due process.

Meanwhile, former senator Leila de Lima called the arrest of Duterte a step toward justice for the victims of his war on drugs, which claimed thousands of lives.

“This is deeply personal for me. For almost seven years, I was imprisoned on fabricated charges for speaking out against Duterte’s drug war. While I was behind bars, thousands of Filipinos were killed without justice,” De Lima said.

She emphasized that Duterte’s arrest is not about vengeance, but justice for the victims and their families. “Duterte now has to answer for his actions before the rule of law,” she added.

De Lima, a vocal critic of Duterte, spent nearly seven years in prison on what she claimed were politically motivated charges. A court eventually ordered her release after the witnesses against her recanted their testimonies.