ACIDRE
IT’S ABOUT JUSTICE
A House leader underscored that the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration’s drug war is about seeking justice, not counting numbers.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, chairman of the House committee on overseas affairs, stressed that the 43 cases cited by the ICC are more than enough to prove a pattern of systematic violence, contrary to claims that the number is too small to be meaningful.
“Hindi ito survey o estadistika. In fact isang kaso lang ang kailangan for conviction. Hindi kailangan ng komplikadong equation para patunayan na mayroong masamang sistema. Ang bawat kaso na iniimbestigahan ay isang dokumentadong patunay ng isang mas malawak at nakakatakot na pattern ng karahasan,” Acidre stated.
He explained that the ICC is not trying to produce a statistical sample that perfectly represents every single death linked to the drug war. Instead, it aims to prove that these documented cases reveal a consistent pattern of abuse and brutality.
“Ang 43 na kasong ito ay pinili dahil sa kalidad ng ebidensya at sa kakayahan nilang ipakita ang isang sistematikong paglabag sa karapatang-pantao. Hindi ito tungkol sa dami, kundi sa bigat at katotohanan ng bawat kaso,” Acidre explained.
Drawing from the ICC Prosecutor’s argument, Acidre emphasized that the cases were chosen to establish a pattern of abuse, not to represent the entire number of victims.
“Kapag mayroong 43 na kaso na malinaw ang ebidensya at nagpapakita ng iisang pamamaraan ng karahasan, sapat na iyon para ituloy ang imbestigasyon. Ang punto ay mayroong sistematikong karahasan na kailangang managot ang mga responsable,” Acidre stressed.
Acidre highlighted that the details in the 43 cases show the pattern of widespread police violence and civilian deaths under Duterte’s drug war.
“Ang mga pagpatay na ito ay hindi isolated incidents. Paulit-ulit ang mga istorya ng mga biktima—walang due process, walang hustisya. At ang mga ebidensyang ito ay nagpapakita ng mas malawak na sistema ng pang-aabuso,” he added.
The House leader argued that focusing on the number of cases is misleading and a deliberate attempt to downplay the reality of systematic killings.
He further pointed out that the ICC’s investigation is not about gathering statistics but about identifying a clear pattern of state-sponsored violence and holding those responsible accountable.
“Ang trabaho ng ICC ay magdala ng hustisya sa mga biktima. Ang dami ng kaso ay hindi ang sukatan ng hustisya, kundi ang katotohanan at bigat ng bawat kasong kanilang inilalaban,” he said.
