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QUAD COMM URGED TO RECOMMEND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, MURDER RAPS VS DUTERTE OVER DRUG WAR DEATHS Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro has called on the House Quad Committee to recommend filing criminal charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged violations of international humanitarian law and potentially murder, in connection with the thousands of deaths linked to his controversial war on drugs. During the Quad Committee hearing on November 13, Luistro presented alarming statistics on the casualties from Duterte's anti-drug campaign, raising concerns about the legality of the tactics employed under his administration. Luistro cited data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and human rights organizations, revealing 6,252 deaths in police anti-drug operations as of May 2022, with estimates of 27,000 to 30,000 extrajudicial killings (EJKs), including vigilante-style murders. She also highlighted the deaths of 427 activists, human rights defenders, and grassroots organizers, as well as 166 land and environmental defenders, 23 journalists, 66 members of the judiciary and legal profession, and 28 local government officials. Luistro directly questioned Duterte during the hearing, asking whether his war on drugs had adhered to due process. Duterte briefly responded, "Yes," but Luistro rejected this claim, pointing to the high death toll and the absence of judicial proceedings. "Contrary to the answer of the former President, I humbly believe that the former President and his war on drugs never complied with the requirements of due process," Luistro said. "If, indeed, they followed the requirement of due process, there shouldn't have been this many deaths, and there should be many cases pending in court." She contrasted the staggering number of casualties under Duterte's administration with the approximately 200 drug-related deaths during the term of his predecessor, the late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Luistro then argued for criminal charges based on Duterte’s public admission of "full legal and moral responsibility" for the actions of the police during the drug war. "By Mr. President's own admission of his accountability, both to legal and illegal actions of the police, it is the humble submission of this representation, Mr. Chair, that the Quad Committee is ready to make a recommendation for the filing of the necessary action in court—that is a violation of the law, RA 9851, Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, or at the very least, the murder cases, as defined under the Revised Penal Code," Luistro stated. Republic Act 9851, enacted in 2009, defines and penalizes crimes against international humanitarian law, including systematic killings such as those in Duterte's war on drugs. The law classifies such acts as "other crimes against humanity," encompassing willful killing, torture, and enforced disappearance. These crimes are non-bailable and carry a penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment. The law extends liability beyond direct perpetrators to those in positions of authority who order, solicit, or induce such crimes. In this context, Duterte could potentially be held liable for his role in orchestrating or encouraging the systematic attacks on civilians during his administration's anti-drug campaign.