Courtesy: Akbayan Partylist
WITH the backdrop of the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirming the charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte, Akbayan Partylist, together with Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian (SIKLAB), and the families of those slain in the ‘War on Drugs’ converged at the Scout Circle today to issue a clear demand: convict the mastermind of the killings.
Invoking the spirit of the People Power uprising that toppled Marcos Sr’s dictator dictatorship, the coalition declared that the same collective courage must now prevail against impunity.
Akbayan Party President Rafaela David manifested that the power of the people that brought back democracy, can also claim justice for Filipinos: “From EDSA to the ICC, the call is clear: an end to the culture of state-sponsored violence against the Filipino people. We have already won over the murderous Marcos regime four decades ago. Now, we will claim justice against Duterte and his bloody war on the poor.”
“Justice demands conviction. Duterte must pay for his brutal crimes against the Filipino people. Only then can we start to break the cycle of violence, when people claim accountability for the abuses even of their topmost leaders,” she added
David also highlighted that alongside Rodrigo Duterte’s conviction, we must never allow such atrocities to happen again: “Hindi natin hahayaang maulit ang diktadura ni Marcos at tokhang ni Duterte. We cannot afford another murderous leader to rise up to Malacañang. We must reject past and present dictators, and protect Filipinos from a dark future full of human rights abuses and plunder.”
For his part, Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña pointed to a crucial lesson of the EDSA revolution: that those who abuse power and oppress the people will eventually be made answerable for their actions.
“Like the dictator overthrown by the people forty years ago, Duterte will learn that no amount of power and influence will be enough to escape accountability. Ang mga ninakaw at kinitil niyang buhay ay may kaukulang kabayaran. He and his conspirators must face the entire weight of their crimes before the ICC.”
Rep. Cendaña also highlighted that Rodrigo Duterte is even lucky to face trial and undergo due process, “Si Kian nga na nagmakaawa dahil may test pa siya ay pinagsalang ng walang kalaban-laban, samantala si Digong pinayagan mag-absent sa hearing niya ng ICC. Kumpara sa mga inosenteng Pilipino na sinentesyahan agad ng kamatayan, maswerte si Digong na may pagkakataon siyang ipaliwanag ang sarili.
