Karapatan credits FPRRD’s arrest to ‘Filipinos’ collective struggle for justice, accountability’

BAGUIO CITY (March 12, 2025) -- Human rights group Karapatan is crediting the eventual arrest of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte to the persistence of victims of the bloody drug war and red-tagging to achieve justice and accountability.

Lawyer Maria Sol Taule, deputy secretary general of Karapatan bewailed, “(Pres.) Marcos Jr. downplays the tenacity and courage of the drug war victims’ families who gave testimonies and provided evidence to the ICC at great risk to their personal safety.” 

Taule, who herself has assisted families of drug war “victims” and activists, criticized how the present administratio “conveniently fails to recognize the existence of a broad movement seeking justice and accountability.”

After Duterte’s arrest Tuesday afternoon, Pres. Marcos Jr. described to the press that the former president’s arrest was the culmination of a process that began in 2017, when Duterte was first investigated by prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

Taule insisted that Marcos Jr. argument that in arresting Duterte, the government merely complied with its obligations to Interpol, of which it is a member, and never cooperated with the ICC since the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, “is specious at best, since the ICC remains the author of the arrest warrant.” 

Karapatan believed, Pres. Marcos Jr. benefited from the ICC’s arrest of Duterte “because this helped him get rid of an archenemy”. He though “continues to refuse rejoining the ICC precisely because he is himself liable for rampant human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law and fears that he may someday end up like Duterte,” Atty. Paule believed.

According to Karapatan, the present administration is still enforcing the repressive Duterte-era laws and policies that according to Tauled, “continue to give rise to grave human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law.”  “The drug war is still being implemented, and the anti terror law passed during the Duterte administration is used against many activists and organizations along with terrorist financing cases. In the same vein that the NTF-ELCAC, which was created during the time of Duterte, continues to exist,” she added.

Taule vowed that “the fight is not yet over, but the arrest of Duterte is a step to closer to justice.” Karapatan promised it “will continue to be vigilant as long as these repressive policies exist in the time of Marcos Jr.