Filipino priests have welcomed the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which shows that a majority of the public believes former President Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) committed during his administration’s war on drugs.
According to the SWS survey conducted from 15-19 February, 51 percent of Filipinos agreed that Duterte should be held liable for the thousands of EJKs carried out during his term.
“This is a most welcome development. It shows that many Filipinos want to see Duterte punished for the lives lost in his bloody war against illegal drugs,” said Fr. Flavie Villanueva, a Catholic priest who has been assisting families of drug war victims.
“But we must not stop here. His other accomplices in the violent anti-drug campaign must also be held accountable by law,” Villanueva added.
Fr. Joel Saballa, Caritas director of the Diocese of Novaliches, also emphasized that holding Duterte and his allies accountable is a crucial step toward delivering long-overdue justice for the families of thousands of EJK victims.
“For justice to be complete, all those involved in the former President’s war on drugs must be punished,” Saballa said.
Duterte is currently in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, where he faces crimes against humanity charges related to his war on drugs, which claimed over 30,000 lives, according to human rights watchdogs.
The former Philippine leader appeared before the ICC’s pre-trial chamber on 14 March. His next court appearance is scheduled for September.
Meanwhile, Fr. Bong Sarabia stressed that the push for accountability must also extend to Duterte’s family members, particularly Vice President Sara Duterte.
Sarabia was a co-filer of the third impeachment complaint against the Vice President, who faces charges of culpable violations of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds from her office and the Department of Education.
Previously, the Vice President stated that she is ready to face a possible arrest by the ICC amid speculations that she could also be among those detained, along with former police chiefs Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Ret. Gen. Oscar Albayalde.