Relief and then, joy filled the room after the presiding judge of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced that they rejected the appeal of former president Rodrigo Duterte for an interim release.
The long and short of the judgment: Duterte remains in detention at the Scheveningen Facility in The Hague.
On Nov. 28, relatives of the victims gathered at the Bahay Kalinga Center in Metro Manila to hear the decision of the ICC on Duterte’s petition for interim release. The Kalinga Center is run by Fr. Flavie Villanueva, 2025 Magsaysay Awardee, who also runs the Paghilom (Healing) Program that helps families of victims of the drug war recover from the trauma by organizing the exhumation, cremation, and inurnment of victims of their dead family members.
“Rodrigo Duterte, stay safe sa Hague!” chorused the EJK victims’ relatives.
Fr. Flavie posted a message in social media: “Have yourself a merry and quiet Christmas at The Hague, Mr. Rodrigo Duterte.”
He added: “Pray natin kasama mo na si Bato sa Pasko.”
Fr. Flavie was referring to Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who is currently in hiding to avoid being served a reported ICC warrant of arrest for his role in the implementation of Duterte’s war on drugs as police chief.
ICC-accredited lawyer Gilbert T. Andres of CenterLaw, which handles a number of EJK victims’ cases, said the ICC decision “cannot restore the lives lost nor erase the pain endured. But it sends a resounding message: justice is possible, and no official, no matter their former power, is beyond the reach of the law.”
Photos and videos by Bullit Marquez for Vera Files