HATAW! D'yaryo ng Bayan hatawtabloid.com
ni GERRY BALDO
NANAWAGAN sa publiko ang dalawang lider ng Quad Committee ng Kamara kahapon, Miyerkoles, na muling ituon ang pansin sa tunay na isyu — ang desisyon ng International Criminal Court (ICC) na ipaaresto si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kaugnay ng mga pagpatay sa iwinasiwas na war on drugs.
Ipinunto nina House Assistant Majority Leaders Zia Alonto Adiong ng Lanao del Sur at Jude Acidre ng Tingog Party-list, kasama sa mga kongresista na nag-imbestiga sa mga kaso ng extrajudicial killings na may kaugnayan sa kampanya kontra droga ng nakaraang administrasyon, hindi lamang ito tungkol kay Duterte, kundi lalo sa mga biktima ng madugong gera kontra droga na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nakakamit ang hustisya.
“The ICC case is not about Duterte—it is about the victims,” pahayag nina Adiong at Acidre. “For years, families of the slain have cried out for justice. They buried their children, their fathers, their brothers, with no accountability for their deaths. Now that justice is finally within reach, Duterte and his allies want to rewrite the narrative, framing this as political persecution. But the real persecution happened in our streets, in our alleys, in our communities — where the powerless were gunned down in cold blood.”
Binigyan diin nina Adiong, chairman ng House Ad Hoc Committee on Marawi Rehabilitation and Victims Compensation, at si Acidre, chairman ng House Committee on Overseas Welfare Affairs, na bagama’t isang mahalagang hakbang patungo sa pananagutan ang pag-aresto kay Duterte, hindi dapat ito maging dahilan upang makalimutan ang pagdurusa ng mga pamilya ng mga biktima.
Ang Quad Comm ay naging mahalaga sa pagbubunyag ng mga alegasyon tungkol sa isang “reward system” para sa mga pulis na sangkot sa extrajudicial killings noong panunungkulan ni Duterte.
Ilan sa mga saksi, kabilang ang dating Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager at retiradong PNP Colonel Royina Garma, ang tumestigo tungkol sa mga nasabing gawain, na nagbigay-liwanag sa isyu.
Sa kanilang pahayag, inalala nina Adiong at Acidre ang ilan sa mga pinakakilalang biktima ng madugong gera kontra droga:
“Remember Kian delos Santos. In 2017, Kian, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student, was dragged into a dark alley in Caloocan. He was just 17, a student with his whole life ahead of him. Witnesses heard him cry out, ‘Tama na po! May test pa ako bukas!’ But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The police claimed he was a drug runner, that he fought back. But CCTV footage told the real story—Kian was murdered, executed while unarmed. His lifeless body was left in the mud, a bullet lodged in his head. And when his family demanded justice, they were met with threats,” ani Adiong at Acidre.
“Remember Carl Angelo Arnaiz. He was 19, a former UP student, a boy full of dreams. In 2017, he left his home in Cainta, Rizal, reportedly to buy snacks. He never returned. After ten days, his body was found in a morgue in Caloocan, riddled with gunshot wounds. The police claimed he attempted to rob a taxi driver and fired at officers, but forensic evidence told a different story—Carl had been tortured, handcuffed, and shot while on his knees. He was not a criminal. He was a son, a friend, a young man with a future,” anila.
“Remember Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman. He was 14, just a boy, just a child. He disappeared at the same time as Carl. Days later, his body was found floating in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, stabbed multiple times. What justification could there be for such a brutal death? What crime did he commit that warranted such inhumanity? None. Kulot was another casualty of a war that showed no mercy to the young and the poor,” pahayag nina Adiong at Acidre.
Binigyang-diin ng dalawang mambabatas na karamihan sa mga biktima ng war on drugs ay hindi nabigyan ng tamang paglilitis o due process.
“They were killed point-blank. They were accused, tried, and sentenced in a matter of seconds — not by a court, but by a bullet.”
Sa kabila nito, sinabi nilang ngayon, habang si Duterte ay nasa kustodiya, siya ay nabibigyan ng lahat ng due process na itinakda ng pandaigdigang batas.
“And now, as Duterte is taken into custody, he is being given all the due process that international law provides,” punto ng mga mambabatas. “The same man who mocked human rights, who laughed at the idea of trials, is now afforded every legal protection available under international justice mechanisms. And yet, even in detention, his allies want to shield him from accountability. But justice cannot be selective.”
Matatandaang noong 2018, iniutos ni Duterte ang pagkalas ng Filipinas mula sa Rome Statute matapos ianunsyo ng ICC ang pagsisimula ng kanilang preliminary investigation sa madugong gera kontra droga. Gayonpaman, ayon sa mga eksperto sa batas, hindi nito ipinawawalang-sala si Duterte sa mga krimeng naganap habang miyembro pa ang Filipinas ng ICC.
“He dared the ICC to come after him. He said he would rather die than go to jail. He laughed in the face of justice. Now that justice has caught up with him, he suddenly wants to be protected by the very legal processes he once ridiculed,” giit nila.
Binigyang-diin din nina Adiong at Acidre na ang pag-aresto kay Duterte ay hindi katapusan ng laban para sa hustisya, kundi isang hakbang lamang patungo rito.
“For years, the families of the slain have waited for justice that our own government refused to give them,” anila. “They watched as their children’s killers walked free. They endured threats and intimidation just for demanding the truth. Now, the world is listening. Duterte’s arrest reminds us that impunity cannot last forever.”
Anila, ang laban na ito ay hindi tungkol sa politika kundi sa pananagutan.
“This is about accountability, not politics. If we are to be a nation of laws, we must not allow anyone, no matter how powerful, to escape justice,” giit ng dalawang mambabatas.
“Duterte had his time in power. He ruled with an iron fist. He made a mockery of human rights. Now, he must face the consequences.”
Bilang pagtatapos, nagbigay ng mensahe ang dalawang pinuno ng Kamara para sa mga pamilya ng mga biktima:
“To those who have suffered in silence, whose cries for justice have been ignored — I tell you now, the world is finally listening,” pahayag nina Adiong at Acidre. “The time for reckoning is here.”
