Groups, kin of EJK victims call for Rodrigo Duterte imprisonment

Various progressive groups and relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war, stage a protest on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City, calling for justice and his imprisonment. —Photo by Faith Argosino |  INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Various progressive groups and relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war held a protest along the Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City, calling for justice and his imprisonment.

The protest comes after the arrest of Duterte on Tuesday morning due to his alleged crimes against humanity.

The Palace confirmed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued Duterte’s arrest warrant as reported by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

As of 6 p.m., the crowd estimate along the area reached 400, according to Makabayan Coalition.

Among those who joined the crowd were ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) President Renato Reyes Jr.

“We won today in the fight to arrest Duterte. But this victory is not the end. He will still have a trial, and until he is convicted in the trial and imprisoned, our victory is not complete. So our fight continues,” Colmenares said in Filipino.

“What’s sad is — although he asked for his rights to be respected — for a long time, he did not recognize the rights of children, wife, and parents. We also want to be held accountable for not recognizing the rights of our relatives during his time. It’s good that he was issued a warrant of arrest. But our relatives were killed outright,” he added.

For her part, Castro told the families of the victims that Duterte’s arrest was just the start.

“Keep on fighting. We will continue the fight until we win,” she told the protesters.

During the rally, relatives of the victims once again recalled the death of their loved ones. Some turned emotional as they remembered how their sons and daughters were killed during Duterte’s brutal drug war.

Based on reports, Duterte’s war on drugs left at least 6,000 people dead. But human rights groups reported that the number may have reached 20,000.