MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla made a disclosure on Thursday: about 95 percent of “wrongful deaths” during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war had no police records.
The revelation came during a Senate hearing investigating Duterte’s recent arrest for alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Duterte was taken into custody at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, March 11, and immediately flown to The Hague, where he now faces trial.
Justice System Failure?
“When we look at the records of the wrongful death situations, there were really no police reports—maybe 95 percent had no police reports,” Remulla told senators.
His statement stunned Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, a known Duterte ally.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that…” Cayetano responded.
Despite the shocking statistic, Cayetano maintained that “our justice system is working.”
However, Remulla pushed back, arguing that while the justice system may be functioning now, it had “failed” during Duterte’s war on drugs.
Families Seeking Justice Turn to ICC
Many of the cases, Remulla pointed out, ended up at the ICC because families of victims couldn’t find justice in the country.
“The cases we are speaking about were filed by families in the ICC because they can’t get justice here,” he emphasized.
Death Toll Controversy
The Duterte administration officially reported at least 6,000 deaths in its anti-drug campaign.
However, international human rights watchdogs and ICC prosecutors estimate the actual death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019—a number that includes numerous extrajudicial killings.
A Hard Truth to Face
“I think one thing that nobody wants to acknowledge is that there has been a failure of the justice system for a long time,” Remulla said.
“They [the victims’ families] had to file their cases in the ICC just to get any attention from anybody who cares.”
As Duterte faces international scrutiny, Remulla’s revelation adds another layer of damning evidence to the already controversial legacy of the drug war.
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