HUSTISYA, victims’ families to engage in truth commission on killings under Duterte’s war on drugs
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
May 20, 2026
Reference: Atty. VJ Topacio, Hustisya National Board member
through KARAPATAN Public Information Desk, 09189790580
HUSTISYA, victims’ families to engage in truth commission on killings under Duterte’s war on drugs
Victims’ group HUSTISYA said it will actively participate and engage in the formation of an independent truth commission focused on the killings and human rights violations under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, as preparations intensify for the upcoming trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The group said this is a critical moment to advance truth, accountability, and justice for thousands of victims and their families.
“For too long, those in power and those implicated in violence have controlled the dominant narrative,” HUSTISYA said. “The stories of victims are often immediately branded, judged, or erased to justify their killings,” said Atty. VJ Topacio, National Board member of HUSTISYA.
The group stressed that the truth commission must ensure that the experiences of victims and survivors are placed at the center of the historical record, especially as ICC proceedings move forward.
“Each victim was more than a number or a statistic. Each one had a name, a family, and a life that was cut short,” Topacio said. “Every story matters, what happened to them, why they were targeted, and how these killings were carried out under a system that enabled impunity.”
HUSTISYA said families of victims and survivors are prepared to come forward, testify, and actively participate in any truth-seeking mechanism that will help establish a complete and truthful record of the war on drugs. They also call others who are still afraid to muster the courage to rise up and speak for their families.
“In this context, an independent truth commission becomes crucial. It provides space for testimonies to be documented, for suppressed or distorted evidence to be surfaced, and for the dignity of victims to be restored,” Topacio said.
The organization emphasized that justice is not only about legal accountability before international courts, but also about restoring truth and memory in the country.
“It is about truth-telling, about memory, and about the right of the Filipino people to know what really happened during the war on drugs,” Topacio said.
HUSTISYA said a genuine truth commission must be independent, victim-centered, and free from political or institutional interference, and insisted that victims and their families must be recognized as central participants, not passive witnesses, in the process.
The group also called for support in the creation of an independent truth commission as the ICC proceedings move forward.
“We will participate in this process because the victims deserve to be remembered truthfully, and because we will not allow the dark years of the Duterte regime to be erased. This is a step to justice. We will keep watch until justice is achieved,” Topacio said.
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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. It was established in 1995.