KARAPATAN denounces Cayetano’s defense of drug war, Teodoro’s rejection of peace talks
KARAPATAN Public Information
May 25, 2026
Reference: Cristina Palabay, KARAPATAN secretary general, 09173162831
KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
KARAPATAN Denounces Cayetano’s Defense of Drug War, Teodoro’s Rejection of Peace Talks
Human rights alliance KARAPATAN slammed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. for their continuing defense of state violence and militarist policies, saying both officials have “zero credibility on human rights, justice, and genuine peace.”
“After letting an international fugitive escape arrest, the senator-turned-EJK-cheerleader is once again scraping the bottom of the barrel by calling a campaign soaked in blood a ‘human rights campaign’ and a ‘pro-life campaign,’” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay, reacting to Cayetano’s remarks defending former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
“Cayetano’s remarks are a grotesque distortion of reality and a cruel insult to the thousands killed in Duterte’s bloody drug war, as well as to their families who continue to seek justice. There is nothing ‘pro-life’ in a campaign that normalized extrajudicial executions, terrorized poor communities, orphaned children, and encouraged impunity among state forces,” Palabay said.
According to Palabay, those who truly believed in human rights demand accountability for the killings, instead of defending the policy and the government bureaucracy that enabled them.
“Instead of standing with victims, Cayetano chose to justify a campaign that treated poor Filipinos as disposable targets. He would rather remain loyal to his detained master in The Hague than to the people he claims to represent in the Senate,” she added.
KARAPATAN likewise lambasted anew Defense Secretary Teodoro for rejecting the resumption of peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), saying his position “further entrenches the Marcos Jr. administration’s failed militarist approach that has resulted in more killings, displacement, red-tagging, and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law especially in rural communities.”
Palabay said Teodoro’s pronouncements effectively encourage further atrocities by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), particularly amid public outrage over recent incidents including the Negros 19 massacre and continuing attacks against civilians, activists, and government critics.
“Teodoro’s insistence on speaking for the AFP to counter so-called ‘misinformation’ is deeply alarming, especially when independent fact-finding missions, forensic examinations, and testimonies from affected communities point to grave abuses that demand impartial investigation and accountability,” Palabay said.
She added that Teodoro’s rejection of peace negotiations exposes the Marcos Jr. administration’s hypocrisy. “In 2023, the government itself signed a joint communiqué with the NDFP affirming commitments to peace, reconciliation, and unity. Now, Teodoro seeks to sabotage even those limited commitments by insisting that military suppression is the only path forward.”
“KARAPATAN reiterates that the roots of armed conflict cannot be resolved through state terror. The government must comply with previously signed agreements such as the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and address the roots of the armed conflict, including landlessness, poverty, and political repression,” Palabay said.
“At the same time, there must be accountability for the AFP’s violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians, enforced disappearances, torture, and the vilification of humanitarian and fact-finding initiatives. Peace cannot be built on impunity and state violence,” she added.
“Cayetano and Teodoro are hypocrites of the worst kind, enablers and defenders of rights violations. It should be etched in stone that they have absolutely no moral authority to speak about human rights, justice, or genuine peace,” Palabay ended.
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.