Spotlight should be on drug war victims, not Duterte – Acidre

Raffy Lerma’s viral photograph, “Lamentation,” won silver for Best News Photograph. The photo offers a heartbreaking take on the government’s ruthless war on illegal drugs.

MANILA, Philippines — The developments on the crimes against humanity case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) should put the spotlight on the victims of the drug war and not on President Rodrigo Duterte, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said on Wednesday.

In a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Acidre said that he was hoping people would pay more attention to the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) rather than Duterte, as the pursuit of justice would be for their benefit.

Duterte was arrested on Tuesday under a warrant issued by the ICC for his crimes against humanity case arising from his bloody drug war.

READ: LIVE UPDATES: Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague

Young victims

“I hope we would not put our attention on President Duterte because there are a lot of victims of EJK. When the quad committee hearings started, I had the chance to talk to many of the relatives. And many of them are children, you have Kian de Los Santos — if I am not mistaken, who was only 17 years old, Grade 11, from Caloocan,” Acidre said in Filipino.

“There was Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, a valedictorian during high school, 19 years old, studying at UP [University of the Philippines]. What happened was that he disappeared. He just went out to buy a snack, but they found his body after 10 days. Police said that he was arrested because he robbed a taxi driver… Micah Ulpina, 3 years old, was probably the youngest EJK victim,” he added.

According to Acidre, when news broke out about Duterte’s arrest on Wednesday, these victims were on his mind — prompting him to avoid using the term “thanksgiving” to celebrate the developments.

“I think while this was happening yesterday, while we were thinking about it and monitoring it, that was one thing going on in my mind — the victims,” he said.

“That’s why I avoided using the term ‘thanksgiving’ or ‘celebration.’ Honestly, we should start healing now, especially for EJK victims. I think we owe it to them to make sure that we start healing, but that healing will come only through one thing — through justice,” he added.

Duterte says his rights were abused

After his arrest, Duterte, along with his allies and relatives, claimed that his rights were abused.

In a post on his personal Facebook page, Duterte’s son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, said that police officers were illegally detaining the former president.

“It seems to me that they are trying to murder the old man,” he said.

Duterte supporters in Davao City, the former president’s hometown, also protested what they called political persecution.

But on Tuesday, hours after Duterte’s arrest, Catholic priest Flavie Villanueva said that it was the former president who committed abuses while he was in power, allowing state forces to commit rights violations during his administration’s war on illegal drugs.

“This is what I have to say for those claiming Duterte was abused,” Villanueva said in an interview at the Sacred Heart Parish in Quezon City while holding up a copy of the ICC arrest order.  “This is from the International Criminal Court.  No man nor country can dictate its movements.”

“This is for you. How was he abused? He killed 30,000 people. There was no conviction for at least five I think only two or three cases had decisions, and some were ruled homicide. How is the arrest an abuse? That is not an abuse. He is the one who abused the nation,” he added.

Leaving on a chartered plane

After questioning the arrest, Duterte eventually boarded a chartered plane from Villamor Air Base, which left Manila for the Netherlands a few minutes after 11:00 p.m., Tuesday.

ICC is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

As early as last Saturday, talks about the ICC possibly releasing an arrest order against Duterte mounted.  During this time, Duterte and his entourage flew to Hong Kong to meet overseas Filipino workers.

While in Hong Kong, Duterte addressed the talks about the arrest order, saying that his actions during the drug war were for the benefit of Filipinos.