The Supreme Court was asked on Friday by families of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte's anti-illegal drug campaign to declare unconstitutional the government issuances that implemented the controversial "war on drugs."

The petitioners, represented by CenterLaw Philippines led by Sr. Ma. Juanita "Nenet" Daño, filed a Manifestation and Urgent Motion for Resolution, urging the high court to act on their consolidated petitions, which have been pending since 2017.

The petition seeks to invalidate Philippine National Police Command Memorandum Circular No. 16-2016, or Project Double Barrel, as amended by CMC No. 01-2017, as well as Department of the Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2017-112.

The families argued that the issuances violated the constitutional rights to life, liberty, and security.

According to the pleading, the questioned issuances remain in effect because they have not been amended, revoked, or suspended despite the change in administration, allowing them to continue serving as part of the legal framework governing police anti-drug operations.

The petitioners also asked the Supreme Court to issue a writ of amparo and a Permanent Protection Order (PPO), citing what they described as continuing threats, harassment, and disinformation targeting families and communities of drug war victims.

They argued that the unresolved constitutional questions remain justiciable, involve matters of paramount public interest, and are capable of repetition while evading judicial review.

The filing coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign, which formally began on 1 July 2016 with the implementation of Project Double Barrel.

The petitioners said the Supreme Court is the only institution that can definitively rule on the constitutionality of the challenged issuances and urged it to resolve the cases nearly nine years after they were first filed.

Former president Duterte was arrested on 11 March 2025 by Philippine authorities and Interpol at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity. He was later transferred to The Hague, Netherlands, where he faces trial.