MANILA – Grieving family members of individuals who died during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs demanded justice as they shared emotional testimonies on Wednesday before the House Quad Committee.
Christine Pascual, mother of 17-year-old Joshua Pascual Laxamana, who was killed in 2018, recounted that her son had dreams of becoming a gamer, which he balanced alongside his studies.
Pascual lamented that if not for Duterte’s drug war policy that resulted in alleged extrajudicial killings, her son and many others would still be alive today.
“Kung hindi lang po sana po naging batas ni Mr. [former] President [Duterte] po ang pagpatay na walang makukulong sana po walang maraming namatay na ganitong inosente na mga bata po (If only it hadn’t become a policy under Mr. President (Duterte) to kill without consequence, there wouldn’t have been so many innocent children who died),” Pascual said.
Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed in 2017, highlighted the lingering trauma and lack of accountability that she and other bereaved families have to endure.
Pasco stressed that despite the passage of time, justice has remained elusive.
“Hanggang ngayon po ay walang hustisya dahil wala talaga pong masusing imbestigasyon para doon po sa mga pinaslang (Until now, there is no justice because no thorough investigation has been conducted for those who were killed),” Pasco said.
Pasco acknowledged the fear she and others felt when speaking out, but said that confronting Duterte directly was a step toward seeking the truth.
“Sana po hinihiling namin na talagang lumabas po ang buong katotohanan na para po magkaroon na ng katarungan ang lahat po ng mga pinaslang, hindi lang po ang aking anak, kundi po lahat po ng mga pinaslang nung panahon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte—yung madugong patayan po ng war on drugs (We are asking for the full truth to come out so that justice can be served for all those killed, not just my children but for everyone who was slain during President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs),” Pasco said.
Mary Ann Domingo, who lost both her husband and son on September 16, 2016, recounted how police barged into their home while her family was sleeping and forcibly dragged them out.
She emphasized the indignity and control exerted by the authorities during the incident.
“Ako po yung asawa at saka ina nung pinaslang noong September 16, 2016 po… Sa totoo lang yung war on drugs, kaming nawalan ng dignidad. Inalisan kami ng dignidad (I am the wife and mother of those killed on September 16, 2016… To be honest, the war on drugs took away our dignity. We were stripped of our dignity),” Domingo said.
“Paulit-ulit nagmamakaawa ang aking asawa at aking anak… pagkatapos po nun, hinila po kami palabas (My husband and son pleaded repeatedly… then we were dragged outside),” Domingo added.
The gunshots that followed took the lives of Domingo’s husband and son.
She noted how the scene seemed meticulously planned, with police and a funeral parlor representative already present even before her family members were declared dead.
“Halos naging kontrolado po yung ginawa nila nun na ginawa po nilang yun ay hindi po tama (What they did was almost entirely controlled, and it was not right),” she said.
Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr., co-chair of the House Quad Comm, said the country became a “killing field” of drug suspects and innocent civilians during the six-year Duterte administration.
Abante said he and other leaders of the Baptist Church voted for the former Davao City mayor when he ran for president in 2016.
“We believed in you, we believed in your plan, despite not knowing you from Adam,” he said in an impassioned manner.
He said they also supported his war on drugs but became disappointed when it resulted in the death of thousands of Filipinos.
He added that the then newly elected President Duterte promised to wipe out the drug menace in six months.
“Pero inabot po kayo ng anim na taon. Hanggang ngayon, meron tayong war on drugs (But you finished six years. Until now, we have this war on drugs),” Abante said.
He pointed out that during the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, rouge policemen and riding-in-tandem hitmen killed thousands of Filipinos.
“Hindi namin akalain kung bakit kinailangang pumatay ng libu-libong Filipino (We did not expect why there is a need to kill thousands of Filipinos), more than 30, 000 in fact. Sa more than 30, 000, 7, 000 lang ang (only 7, 000 are) drug suspects,” he said.
Abante said assassins were motivated to kill drug suspects and innocent civilians by the rewards offered by the Duterte administration.
According to testimonies given to the Quad Comm, up to PHP1 million was offered for the assassination of a high-value suspect.
“Naging killing field po ang ating bansa. Talo pa natin ang Mexico at Colombia, kung saan not more than 10,000 ang namatay (Our country became a killing field. We surpassed Mexico and Colombia where not more than 10, 000 died),” Abante told Duterte.
He said even children and innocent civilians were killed during the drug war and their death was treated as “collateral damage” that could not be avoided.
He thanked the former president for his decision to appear before the Quad Comm “to answer questions posed by its members.”
“Rest assured po that Congress recognizes your role as our former president, and we will extend to you the respect that the position deserves,” he said. (PNA)