Filipino cardinal forms commission into drug war

The citizen-led Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission is set to hold “public truth hearings” to document the experiences of drug war victims. It is also expected to make recommendations to the Office of the President, the Congress and the National Police Commission.

The Truth Commission is headed by Raul Pangalangan, a 67-year-old former judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which ordered Duterte’s arrest over his alleged crimes against humanity. Cardinal David will serve as the Commission’s advisor.

Cardinal David told reporters on May 27 that the Truth Commission’s objective is finding out the truth “that was buried along with the people who allegedly fought back”.

He was referring to the frequent justification of police officers – that the victims “fought back” and threatened the officers, who had to shoot them in self-defence.

“That is why we are here, so that we, in turn, can fight back – but in a peaceful way. We carry no guns. We fight for the truth,” said Cardinal David.

Human rights groups estimate that the Duterte drug war killed around 30,000 people, who were suspected of being addicts and dealers, and were mostly poor individuals.

Duterte faces the ICC charge of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his tenure as the mayor of Davao City for about 22 years and then as president from 2016 to 2022.

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Filipino cardinal forms ‘truth commission’ to probe Duterte drug war (By Paterno Esmaquel II/UCA News)