DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 May) – An independent, civilian-led Truth Commission that will document ‘drug war’ killings will be formally launched at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at the Archbishop’s Palace in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.
The Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Truth Commission) was formed “to establish a credible public record of extrajudicial killings and related abuses linked to the government’s drug war, which escalated in 2016.”
The Truth Commission will focus on documenting survivor testimonies, recommending accountability measures, and identifying institutional reforms to prevent future violence.
The Commission will be chaired by Atty. Raul Pangalangan, former Dean of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines and former judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The four other Commissioners are forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, Adamson University President Fr. Danny Pilario, trauma expert Dr. Al Fuertes, and journalist and human rights researcher Carlos Conde.
Cardinal Pablo “Ambo” David, Bishop of Kalookan, will serve as the Truth Commission’s Adviser.
The need for a Truth Commission has always been the call of human rights defenders in the Philippines and even the international Human Rights Watch, but late last year, David made a formal call during a press conference with civil society organizations, Conde told MindaNews.
Conde, a Mindanawon who heads Rights Report Philippines, and was former Senior Researcher of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, will also serve concurrently as the Truth Commission’s Executive Director.
The launch will be livestreamed on youtube.com/@TruthCommissionPH and
facebook.com/truthcommissionPH/.
Also on May 27, former President Rodrigo Duterte, accused of crimes against humanity before the ICC, will be represented by his new lawyer, Peter Haynes, during the first status conference of the ICC’s Trial Chamber III.
Duterte through his lawyer, emailed the Trial Chamber on May 21 a request stating that he “wishes to waive his right to appear before the Chamber on 27 May 2026 and fully trusts his legal team to address the procedural matters listed on the status conference agenda.”
Duterte was charged for the killings during his ‘war on drugs’ from November 2011 to March 2019, when the Philippines was a state signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
Within that period, Duterte was vice mayor from 2011 to 2013, mayor from 2013 to 2016 and President from 2016 to 2022.
In its ruling on the confirmation of charges, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber concluded: “For these reasons, Rodrigo Roa Duterte is criminally responsible for Count 1: Murder as a crime against humanity in Davao City during the Mayoral period of at least the 19 victims between 2013 and around June 2016; Count 2: Murder as a crime against humanity of ‘High-Value Targets’ in locations across the Philippines during the Presidential period of at least the 14 victims between around July 2016 and July 2017; and Count 3: Murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity in barangay clearance operations in locations across the Philippines during the Presidential period of at least the 45 victims (43 murders and two attempted murders) between around July 2016 and September 2018; “and commits Mr Duterte to a Trial Chamber for trial on the charges as confirmed.”
According to the ICC, the number of victims is only a “representative sample” of the thousands of killings recorded during the period.
Before the ICC, the Commission on Human Rights investigated the killings in 2009 related to Duterte’s bloody ‘war on drugs,’ but no one came forward to admit he was among the killers until the self-confessed hitman, Edgar Matobato testified at the Senate investigation in 2016 and retired police officer Arturo Lascanas in early 2017 recanted his 2016 testimony at the Senate probe, affirmed what Matobato said and exposed what he knew about the Davao Death Squad. (MindaNews)
