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Nearly 30 years after the Sta Filomena Marine Sanctuary in Bohol was established, much has been accomplished, but more work remains, and concerned government agencies and fisherfolk pledge to continue to protect it.

The prosecution in the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court has asked the Trial Chamber III to admit as evidence the statements of a former police officer and member of the Davao Death Squad, who is no longer available to testify at trial. 

The prosecution at the International Criminal Court has asked judges to admit the pre-recorded testimonies of eight more witnesses, saying their evidence would challenge police claims of self-defense and establish the rise in drug-related killings under former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The defense of former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court has asked Trial Chamber III to reject a report associated with an unnamed prosecution witness, arguing that the testimony does not add substantial value to the case.

The prosecution at the International Criminal Court has sought to introduce the pre-recorded testimonies of seven additional witnesses who allegedly have evidence of extrajudicial killings in Davao City and across the Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

In its latest filing, the prosecution identified the witnesses as P-1097, P-1170 and P-1318, saying their accounts and supporting evidence would establish the Philippine National Police’s role in implementing Duterte’s anti-drug campaign and the alleged methods used to carry out and conceal killings.

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner stressed that while Duterte’s waiver of appearance was approved for the status conference, his attendance would be expected once the trial proper begins.

Psychiatrist on Anti-Bullying Act: “Is it all just on paper? Are the schoolchildren and teachers aware? Does a child know who to talk to when bullied? When a child speaks up, do teachers, guidance counselors and other school authorities listen and help?”

For families of those who were killed when former president Rodrigo Duterte waged a brutal and indiscriminate war on illegal drugs, Undas brings a heavier pain. They are still searching for justice for family members who they believe were falsely tagged and killed.

In an Oct. 27 filing signed by lead counsel Peter Haynes, the defense said it did not oppose admitting P-1370’s statement but urged the judges to reject the recorded testimonies of P-1393 and P-1416.

The challenge for lawmakers is to build protections that work in practice, not merely impose restrictions that are difficult to enforce or easy to evade.

There is a festering lethal drug trade in Cebu that the province’s police seem unable to fully deal with and account for, despite its claim of success in its anti-criminality crusade. As long as this is the case, Cebu will remain the center of drug-related killings in the Philippines.