MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 27 May 2026) — “Ang mga yumao ay may karapatan pa rin.” (The dead still have rights.)

These words from forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun summed up the purpose of the civilian-led Truth Commission launched Wednesday to listen to the stories of witnesses and families of the victims of the bloody “war on drugs” of the Duterte administration.

“What we want is the truth … a humane nation, a nation that values life,” Fortun said during the launch at the Archbishop’s Palace in Mandaluyong City which was streamed live on Facebook.

Dr. Al Fuertes, a trauma expert, said the storytelling process will be trauma-informed and victim- and healing-centered to prevent a transgenerational transmission of trauma.

But Fuertes clarified that while the process is victim-centered, it will also provide spaces for other actors, including those from the government. This, he said, will help ferret out the truth “given the many perspectives.”

The Commission is important not only as a process but also in providing spaces to listen to people, he said.

“The victims are not just statistics but human beings with dignity who continue holding on to hope,” he added.

Aside from Fortun and Fuertes, the Commission comprises Atty. Raul Pangalanan, former dean of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines and former judge of the International Criminal Court, who serves as chair.

The two other commissioners are Adamson University President Fr. Danny Pilario and journalist and human rights researcher Carlos Conde, who previously worked with the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Cardinal Pablo “Ambo” David, Bishop of Kalookan, the Truth Commission’s adviser, said that at first he gave the “drug war” the benefit of a doubt but his position changed “when bodies started piling up.”

“The tokhang changed our priorities as a diocese (Caloocan),” he said. Tokhang is a euphemism for the extrajudicial killings linked to the “drug war.”

David recalled the circumstances in the killing of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old drug suspect who was shot dead in Caloocan on August 16, 2017. The case became much publicized after official police reports were contradicted by witnesses’ accounts and CCTV footage. Four police officers were convicted of murdering Delos Santos.

“The suffering isn’t over. Many families are still looking for answers to what happened, why it happened, and how we can prevent it from happening again,” the Cardinal said.

Pangalanan explained that the Commission’s mandate is different from that of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC determines guilt or innocence, while the Commission will hear the victims tell their stories for these to be recorded, he said.

Pangalanan said that since it’s not possible for all victims to testify, others will be asked to tell their stories in writing or in conversations.

“Victims used to be just recipients of justice. They should have an active part in the justice system,” he said, adding the Commission will share its report with civil society, the public, as well as government agencies.

Pilario said that as a theologian, “Matagal na akong nakikinig sa mga tao sa laylayan (For so long, I have listened to those in the margins),” referring to his immersion in Payatas, a dumpsite in Quezon City inhabited by informal settlers. “My stance is to listen. We should be a listening church.”

He shared how victims of the “drug war” would approach him and ask questions like “Nasaan na ang Diyos?” (Where is God?) and “Paano kami magpapatawad?” (How can we forgive?)

The church must serve as a guide in answering these questions, he said.

The priest said the Commission will look for ways to tell the stories of the children who either saw their fathers killed or didn’t know what happened to their fathers.

Conde said it has been a personal journey for him since his days as a reporter in Davao City at the height of killings blamed on the Davao Death Squad, a group of hitmen linked to then-mayor and former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Hanggang ngayon sugatan pa rin ako (Until now I remain wounded),” Conde, trying to hold back tears, said. “Just imagine the families who are victims of the drug war.”

Conde, who will serve as the Executive Director of the Commission, said they are more inclined to listen first to the victims but will also reach out to the authorities.

He said it is not an inquisition against the Dutertes but is meant to bring dignity back to the victims.

“Truth is not just for history but also for the people’s dignity,” he added.

“Journalists are as wounded as the people they cover,” David, reacting to Conde, said. He added the Commission can be an opportunity for “a catharsis to restore our dignity.”

He said the process can help rehabilitate institutions that were damaged by the “drug war.”

Duterte, whose “war on drugs” led to the deaths of thousands of suspects, is being detained in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity of murder.

His former police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has been issued an arrest warrant by the ICC.

Dela Rosa has been absent from sessions in the Senate starting in November last year. He surfaced early this month, on the day the Senate voted to replace Vicente Sotto III as Senate President with Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte ally. He went back into hiding afterwards. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)