The Philippine Catholic Church and civil society organizations set up on Wednesday, May 27, a “Truth Commission” charged with establishing the facts and building a “credible public record” on the “war on drugs” waged by former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte.
On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that Rodrigo Duterte, arrested in 2025, would be tried for crimes against humanity from November 30. Prosecutors said he had thousands of suspected drug dealers and users killed.
Led by a former ICC judge and supported by the Catholic Church, the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Philippines” said in a statement that it would seek to “establish a credible public record on extrajudicial killings and abuses linked to the government’s war on drugs.”
This five-member commission should begin public hearings at the end of July. Her work will consist of “collecting testimonies from survivors, recommending measures to establish accountability and defining institutional reforms to prevent future violence,” she explained.
“Our goal is to hear victims tell their stories. Our goal is to establish the truth,” commission chairman Raul Pangalangan, a former ICC judge, told a news conference. “Victims must take an active part” in obtaining justice, he added.
Up to 30,000 people killed
According to human rights NGOs, up to 30,000 people were killed during the anti-drug campaign under President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022), including many small-time drug traffickers and users.
Philippine police have admitted killing more than 6,000 suspects in self-defense. Only a few police officers have been prosecuted for murder, including of children and minors. The former Manila strongman faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors accusing him of being involved in at least 76 murders committed between 2013 and 2018.
Although the government did not participate in the creation of the commission, it will have the ability to use the evidence it obtains to prosecute suspects, said Cardinal Pablo David, an adviser to the commission.
Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched in the Philippines for the main culprit in the “war on drugs”, the former police chief under President Rodrigo Duterte, Ronald Dela Rosa. This senator narrowly escaped his arrest on May 11 by taking refuge in the Senate building then fleeing to an unknown destination.
The truth commission also includes Raquel Fortun, a forensic pathologist, Danny Pilario, a Catholic priest and university president, Al Fuertes, a trauma expert, and Carlos Conde, a former researcher for the NGO Human Rights Watch.
