“Marcos should show that this is part of an effort against impunity. So, it’s important for him to file cases, not just against Duterte, but also against others. It’s important to reverse the legacy of impunity that Duterte laid down. This way, people can say, ‘It’s not just politics.’ This is really about addressing the problem of impunity.”

MANILA – Following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, progressive groups are challenging the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the culture of impunity, and to make those responsible for human rights violations accountable.

In a press conference with the families of victims of Duterte’s campaign on illegal drugs on Wednesday, March 12, progressive groups said that the Marcos Jr. administration should begin to scrap all policies of the Duterte administration that resulted in deaths, unlawful arrest and detention, relentless red-tagging and other forms of rights violations.

Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Maria Sol Taule cited policies such as Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70, which created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), Memorandum Order No. 32, and Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, among others. 

Read: De facto martial law terrorizes civilians in Negros, Bicol, Eastern Visayas

“These policies continue to be implemented under Marcos Jr. administration,” said Taule, adding that the rise of rights violations under the present administration continue.

For former Bayan Muna representative and Makabayan senatorial candidate, Teddy Casino, Duterte’s arrest is an opportunity for “Marcos to show that the arrest of Duterte is not just something that will be talked about in 2028, and it’s not just about Marcos trying to put down Duterte.”

“Marcos should show that this is part of an effort against impunity. So, it’s important for him to file cases, not just against Duterte, but also against others. It’s important to reverse the legacy of impunity that Duterte laid down. This way, people can say, ‘It’s not just politics.’ This is really about addressing the problem of impunity,” Casiño said.

Read: #TheRealDuterteLegacy | Duterte, Marcos, and the deteriorating accountability mechanisms

Read: #UndoingDuterte | Five years of state terror

Read: #UndoingDuterte | 25 massacres recorded

National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers Secretary General Josalee Deinla said that what happened is a reminder that impunity can be a legacy of the past administration. “It is inherited and it’s up to the next administration to rectify the wrongs, the previous violations of human rights committed in the past. So there is a chance to make the domestic accountability mechanisms finally work for the victims that have not yet found justice.”

She said that cases they have filed since 2020 have not made significant progress.

“It is very timely to call on the Ombudsman to act on the cases that we filed in their offices,” she said, adding that there have been no convictions on the cases of human rights violations that they are handling.

“Please revisit these cases and prove that there is no impunity or just to show that you are ready to address impunity,” Deinla added.

Taule also reminded the Department of Justice to grant the petition for review filed by the relatives of slain labor leader Emmanuel Asuncion and activist couple, Chai and Ariel Evangelista. The DOJ has dismissed the cases against the 17 policemen who conducted a raid on March 7, 2021 or what is also known as the Bloody Sunday raids as part of the counterinsurgency operations in Southern Tagalog region.

Read: ‘Bloody Sunday’ spells killings, mass arrests in Southern Tagalog

Read: Mother of slain activist petitions DOJ to reopen murder raps vs.cops

“We also challenge Marcos Jr. to file more cases against Duterte because he has a lot to answer to,” Taule said.

“This is our situation now, we still have a lot of challenges to face, but we will not stop until we attain justice, not only for victims of war on drugs but for all those who became victims under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte,” she added. (RVO)