Villegas seeks justice for drug war victims, laments nation’s ‘murdered’ values

MANILA, Philippines – Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold accountable those behind the killings in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, saying the bloodshed not only took lives but also corroded the country’s moral core.

“ICC at The Hague, kayo naman (It’s your turn),” Villegas said in a homily delivered at the EDSA Shrine during rites marking the 40th anniversary of the 1986 People Power uprising.

“Bring to justice the murderers of drug users who also murdered our national virtues and values. Help us restore justice and order in this land that has lost its virtues.”

His appeal comes as Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, over thousands of killings linked to his anti-drugs campaign. Pre-trial hearings are scheduled on February 23, 24, 26, and 27, from 5 pm to 10 pm, Manila time.

Villegas, a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, framed his remarks not only as a call for legal accountability but as a moral reckoning. He asked how a nation that once filled EDSA to depose a dictator could later tolerate killings and sins espoused by Duterte.

“Before the jailed man at the Hague became president, didn’t we know right from wrong?” he asked.

“We knew that killing was sin. Insulting women, mocking God, death threats, law-breaking, siding with foreigners against nation, he screamed evil. Yet, we justified addict murders, vulgar jokes. Blasphemy was tolerable. Due process disposable. Island built up by China as necessary to prevent war,” Villegas said.

“This was not EDSA. Nakakahiya, nakakasuka, nakakapagtaka, bakit tayo nagkaganon?(Shameful, disgusting, and baffling, how did we end up like this?) That kind of leadership must not be given another chance in this country,” he added.

Villegas lamented the weaknesses in the country’s institutions, saying domestic mechanisms have fallen short in delivering accountability.

“Our justice system is defective, not ideal. The political will is weak, not ideal. Irresponsibility and immaturity hover over our land, far from ideal,” he said.

From flood control corruption, impeachment to foreign affairs

Villegas also voiced impatience over the effort to hold accountable those involved in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal.

“Inip na kami. Mga korap at mga kasabwat ng korap, kayo naman. Kayo naman ang dapat alisin sa gobyerno,” he said. (We are tired. The corrupt and the accomplices of the corrupt — it’s your turn. You are the ones who should be removed from government.)

He also challenged the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate more individuals. The ICI, however, has been in limbo after the supposed three-body commission was just left with just its chairman.

Without naming specific officials, he criticized senators he accused of siding with China — calling them “chinador” — as well as those he said had twisted or delayed the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Mga chinador, mga hindi alam ang ibig sabihin ng forthwith, at pinipilipit ang impeachment process, kayo naman, kayo naman ang mag-resign. Katulad ng mag-resign ng EDSA Dos,” Villegas said. ”Ginhawa sa bayan kung wala tulad ninyo sa gobyerno.”

(Those who side with China, those who do not even understand the meaning of forthwith and who twist the impeachment process, it is your turn, you should be the ones to resign. Just as resignations came during EDSA Dos. The nation would breathe easier without people like you in government. Filipino people, we are the people power.)

Villegas pinned his hope on the youth and asked them to think critically.

“Young people and children, kayo naman (it’s your turn). Don’t chase viral posts like dump goats. Think critically. Question. Discern. Kill lies before sharing. Form consciences by truth, not algorithms, as our church teaches. Evaluate leaders by defense of life and justice and integrity, not fleeting trends. Young people and children, be the light that pierces fake news darkness,” he said.

“Bayang Pilipino, tayo ang people power,” Villegas said. (Filipino nation, we are the people power.) – Rappler.com