Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Philippine - Indict, prosecute, and punish the Dutertes

 

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Ang Bayan Editorial | October 7, 2024

After several months of hearings in Congress, the secret details of the operation led and managed by Rodrigo Duterte and his accomplices in Malacañang regarding the sham and bloody "war on drugs" and the criminal campaign of extrajudicial killings are slowly being revealed to the public. This further strengthens the resolve of the Filipino people to fight for justice for the thousands of victims. Their call to indict, prosecute, and punish Duterte for his crimes against humanity is growing stronger.

The hearings confirmed what the public has known all along, that Duterte and his top officials are directly responsible for the extrajudicial killings. A number of officials who were once Duterte's flunkies are now testifying about how he or his accomplices ordered their armed henchmen to carry out these bloody crimes. Hundreds of millions of pesos in public funds were used by Duterte to feed his minions.

Duterte targeted criminal rivals who refused to kneel to his power, as well as political opponents who refused to bow to his tyranny. They were killed in cold blood. Some chose to remain silent. Others were thrown into prison, and there executed.

Fearing he would suffer the same fate as his father, who was ruthlessly butchered by Duterte's police while incarcerated, Kerwin Espinosa agreed to the orders of then-police chief Bato dela Rosa to admit he was a "drug lord" and testify against Leila de Lima, an imprisoned critic of Duterte. This was Espinosa's revelation made in Congress.

Among those who also appeared before Congress was Royina Garma, former police chief of Davao City, who is known to be close to Duterte. Along with Duterte, Garma was named as one of those who ordered the killings of imprisoned Chinese "drug lords" inside the Davao jail in 2016. She was appointed that year as the head of police in Cebu, where the "war on drugs" turned bloody. She was appointed in 2019 as head of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and was implicated as the mastermind behind the killing of rival official Wesley Barayuga, who was murdered by police in 2020.

Despite attempts to wash her hands in Congress, Garma admitted having endorsed Col. Edilberto Leonardo to Duterte to serve as one of the key operators of the "war on drugs." Duterte appointed him to various positions in the government before assigning him to the National Police Commission in 2022. According to Garma, Leonardo was responsible for planning the killings and managing the funds to cover expenses and reward mercenary police killers of Duterte who sought to establish himself as the lord of all drug lords in the Philippines.

The information revealed in the congressional hearings and investigations further strengthens the case filed by thousands of victims at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Duterte for crimes against humanity. It sufficiently proves how Duterte systematically used and abused his power as president to orchestrate a horrific campaign of killings that claimed the lives of thousands of victims. He branded anyone he implicated in drugs as animals and incited armed state forces to use their power against them without limit, without fear of the law or legal procedure. All killings were justified with the "nanlaban" (fought back) excuse to absolve Duterte's criminals in uniform from accountability.

Duterte used the "war on drugs" to establish his tyrannical reign. The same tactics of ruthless killings were directed against organizations of workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, urban poor, students, and other sectors, as well as against human rights defenders and peace advocates. On Duterte's orders, state forces carried out the Bloody Sunday in Southern Tagalog, Operation Sauron in Negros, the Tumandok Massacre in Panay, and other heinous crimes. Duterte also directly ordered bombings and shelling to sow widespread military terrorism in the countryside. Duterte also masterminded the series of killings of captured revolutionary leaders, including those who served as consultants in peace talks.

The Filipino people must strengthen and tirelessly reiterate their call to indict, prosecute, and punish the fascist criminal Rodrigo Duterte, as well as his accomplices (including dela Rosa, Bong Go, and even his daughter Sara), and all officials and elements of the police and military involved in the criminal abuse of power. Bringing Duterte to the ICC will serve as one of the key measures to establish the legal foundation for holding accountable all those involved in his crimes.

Marcos must be held responsible for his collusion with and accommodation of the Dutertes in securing his own power, and for obstructing the people's efforts to bring Duterte and his accomplices to the ICC. Even if the "uni-team" of the Marcoses and Dutertes has collapsed, they remain allies in oppressing and exploiting the people and in defending each other's interests. Marcos fears that any punishment meted out to Duterte will also befall him in due time.

As long as none of these criminals are punished, abusive bureaucratic capitalists and fascists will continue to reign, relentlessly trampling on the rights and welfare of the people. The culture of impunity of the state armed forces promoted and fanned by Duterte is now being used by Marcos to establish his own tyranny based on sowing violence against the people.

The people, however, will never be defeated. Every day, people are being stirred and are courageously rising up. They posses a firm resolve to advance their struggle for justice, freedom, and democracy, no matter how difficult or how long it takes.

PRWC | Philippine Revolution Web Central
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