What Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial means for families of drug war victims

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MANILA, Philippines – Families of Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war victims in Caloocan City joined calls to hold Vice President Sara Duterte accountable as her impeachment trial began on Monday, July 6.

The mother of a drug war victim joined Rise Up for Life and for Rights in the protest organized by progressive groups outside the Senate to call for Duterte’s conviction, and also to demand tangible results from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in relation to the government probe into flood control corruption.

“Panalangin [ng mga pamilya ng biktima] na makita ang katotohanan at malaman pa ng mas maraming bilang ng mamamayan: Ano ba talaga ‘yung paraan ng pamumuno ng mga Duterte? Kailangan silang mapanagot sa korupsyon, sa katiwalian, at sa mga paglabag sa karapatan ng mamamayan,” Rubilyn Litao, Rise Up for Life and for Rights coordinator, told Rappler in an interview.

(The victims’ families are praying that more Filipinos will see and know the truth regarding the kind of leadership of the Dutertes. They must be held accountable for corruption, abuses, and violation of human rights.)

“‘Yung kanilang pamamaraan ng pamumuno ay nakakapangamba dahil talagang walang paggalang sa karapatan ng mamamayan, walang paggalang sa batas,” Litao added (The Dutertes’ way of leadership is worrisome because they have no respect for human rights and the law.)

The Vice President is on trial for her alleged death threats against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez; alleged misuse of confidential funds; unexplained wealth; and alleged bribery of public officials.

Caloocan’s drug war trauma

From their homes in Caloocan, three people who lost family members to Duterte’s drug war hoped that the Senate impeachment court would convict the Vice President, which would bar her from ever holding public office.

Caloocan became a hotspot of extrajudicial killings in the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, magnified by the police killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in 2017.

When he was mayor, Caloocan 1st District Representative Oscar Malapitan declared an “all-out war against illegal drugs” in the city. “We will hunt and crack down everyone who is associated with drugs. We will not stop until we completely diminish drugs in Caloocan,” Malapitan said in a Facebook post dated June 13, 2016, following his reelection for a second term.

He mirrored the stance of the popular then-presidential elect Rodrigo Duterte, who won on a platform of ending crime in three to six months, a promise he never fulfilled during his presidency.

Justice for Lenin

Lenin Baylon was only nine years old when he was killed by a stray bullet in Camarin, Caloocan, in the early days of Duterte’s drug war. He was in a computer shop when motorcycle-riding men targeted two suspected drug users in the shop. His death certificate facilitated by police initially cited bronchopneumonia as his cause of death. (READ: Under Duterte, Philippines allowed forgery of drug war death records)

Six years later, the Court of Appeals upheld the petition of Lenin’s father, Rodrigo, affirming that his son died due to gunshot wounds.

Although Lenin’s death certificate correction is a first step toward justice, much still needs to be done as the perpetrators of Lenin’s death remain scot-free. For now, Baylon said he would move forward while seeking justice for his son, but he will never forget.

When asked about his thoughts on the Vice President’s impeachment trial, Baylon said he wanted Filipinos to see and recognize the lapses of the past leadership, apparently referring to the Duterte presidency, so that the latter’s abuses would not be repeated.

Baylon said Filipinos should closely follow the impeachment trial and hoped that they too would see the importance of the proceedings and learn from it. He is also hoping that Sara would be convicted.

Though they lived in the same community, Emily Soriano and Gretchen Espinosa didn’t know each other until they lost their sons to the drug war. Their shared pain made them very close friends and brought their quest for justice from the streets to the halls of Congress.

Emily Soriano, Gretchen Espinosa, families of drug war victims

On December 28, 2016, Angelito Soriano and Sonny Espinosa were hanging out in a house near their homes in Bagong Silang, Caloocan, when they were killed by unidentified men.

Like Lenin, Angelito and Sonny’s perpetrators have yet to be held accountable nearly a decade after their deaths.

While responding to questions about the ongoing impeachment trial, Soriano noted that the Vice President not only kept silent but continued to support her father’s drug war despite the abuses and the mounting deaths of innocent civilians.

“Kasi mga buhay ng tao ang nawala. Maraming pamilya ang nawalan ng mahal sa buhay, di ba?” Soriano said. (Because many lives were lost. Many families lost their loved ones.)

In the affidavit he submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the crimes against humanity case against Rodrigo Duterte, self-confessed hitman and former Davao Death Squad (DDS) member Arturo Lascañas alleged that Sara implemented Oplan Tokhang in Davao City when she was mayor. The Vice President categorically denied this.

Duterte’s drug war led to at least 6,252 deaths in police operations between July 1, 2016, and May 31, 2022, according to government data. Human right groups estimate that number to be between 27,000 to 30,000 to include victims of vigilante-style killings. Rodrigo Duterte himself admitted that his drug war was a failure in 2019, the middle of his term.

For now, life goes on for Soriano and Espinosa. Soriano said she has not healed yet, but she has to be strong for her other eight children. Espinosa shared the same sentiment, saying her other children need her guidance.

Dutertes must be held accountable

For the families of the victims, the former president’s trial at the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, and the Vice President’s impeachment trial are steps towards justice.

They also said their fight for justice and accountability continues, may it be in the comfort of their homes, under the scorching heat of the sun in the streets, and even inside the air-conditioned halls of power.

On the part of Rise Up for Life and for Rights, Litao urged the impeachment senator-judges to side with the truth. She said all those involved in government corruption must be held accountable.

She also made an appeal to other families of drug war victims to reach out to their group so that their documents and accounts related to Duterte’s drug war can be recorded. – Rappler.com

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