The Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network is a coalition of Filipino organisations and individuals from across Europe who are united in their call to hold former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for his crimes against humanity. The network was initiated by various Filipino groups, including families of victims of Duterte’s “Drug War,” in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, UK, France, Spain, Belgium, Austria and Ireland. It was formally launched earlier this year on March 29, following Duterte’s arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he is currently facing trial.
On June 29, the German chapter of the Campaign Network will be launched online. This is initiated by ALPAS Pilipinas, Gabriela Germany, Migrante Germany, and BAYAN Germany. While the campaign will be led by the Filipino community, we encourage our allies here in Germany to offer their solidarity and support.
The Unity Statement of the campaign network is as follows:
“We welcome the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a pivotal milestone, a significant triumph in the fight against impunity and a steadfast affirmation of the international rule of law. We congratulate the families of the victims and human rights organisations for their relentless pursuit for justice despite the odds and the risks to their own lives.
Duterte’s administration, under the guise of a “war on drugs” campaign, sanctioned policies that emboldened the police force and resulted in tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings that went unpunished, much less investigated. These anti-poor and anti-people campaign not only failed in curbing the drug problem in the country but was also replete with horrendous violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, for which the former president and his cohorts should be held accountable.
The ICC’s intervention is a necessary response to the desperate cries for accountability from countless victims of human rights violations who have been denied their fundamental rights. We emphasize that no individual, regardless of their position or power, should be immune from justice. With Duterte’s arrest, we hope that further warrants of arrest would be issued to the other key personalities who enabled, implemented and benefited from the bloody drug war, such as “Tokhang generals” Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Philippine National Chief Oscar Albayalde, among others. Accountability must be complete and comprehensive if genuine justice is to be achieved.
We call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cooperate fully with the ICC and the Interpol in effecting the arrest of the other actors as soon as their warrants are issued, and to hand them over to the jurisdiction of the Court that they may face trial alongside Rodrigo Duterte. We appeal to the Marcos administration to abrogate existing policies from his predecessor that disregard the peoples’ human rights while perpetuating immunity of Duterte’s cohorts from suit.
In this regard, we also call for the accountability of Vice President Sara Duterte who is now facing impeachment complaints for the abuse and misuse of confidential funds. Like her father, VP Sara had betrayed public trust by exploiting and indulging in public funds for her own personal gain. Sara’s misuse of public funds is part of a broader pattern of corruption that extends from her father’s administration. Even during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, confidential and intelligence funds were spent without proper oversight and accountability.
Seeing the importance of international collaboration to ensure justice and peace, we strongly urge President Marcos, Jr. to re-engage with the ICC and re-enter the Philippines as a member state of the Rome Statute. The refusal to rejoin the ICC makes the Philippines complicit in the commission of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide both within its territories and in the international landscape.
We also urge the Senate to fast-track Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial and ensure that those responsible for the misuse of funds face legal consequences.
This statement calls upon all Filipinos and solidarity allies in Europe to reject complacency and to confront any actions that foster a culture of impunity. Together, we affirm our commitment to justice and accountability, where the universal rights and dignity of every Filipino is upheld without exception.
- Justice for all victims of the drug war and extrajudicial killings now!
- Convict Rodrigo Duterte of crimes against humanity! Impeach Sara Duterte!
- Jail all Tokhang generals!
- Re-engage with the ICC!
- End impunity!”
