Home News Relatives of ‘drug war’ victims call for Duterte’s disbarment

Relatives of ‘drug war’ victims call for Duterte’s disbarment

Relatives of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims, along with human rights defenders, filed a disbarment complaint against former Philippine president and lawyer Rodrigo Duterte before the Supreme Court on Jan. 17. 

The complaint accused Duterte of violating the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) and engaging in conduct unbecoming of a lawyer.

Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay expressed the alliance’s support for the complaint. “We supported this initiative as part of efforts to hold Duterte accountable for violations of human and people’s rights,” she said.



The complainants included family members of individuals killed in Duterte’s so-called war on drugs and during police crackdowns, including those affected by the Bloody Sunday raids in 2021 and other violent incidents during his administration. 

One of the complainants, Atty. Vicente Jaime “VJ” M. Topacio, said the complaint was a response to Duterte’s recent claims of authority as a lawyer and prosecutor during congressional hearings. 

“With Duterte’s invocation of his role as lawyer and prosecutor as some kind of authority in his recent testimony at the hearings at the House of Representatives and the Senate, we believed it was time for victims of human rights violations to speak up,” Topacio said. 

He explained that it was necessary to appeal to the Supreme Court to uphold the proper functioning of the law in the Philippines, to protect victims of human rights violations in their pursuit of justice, and to ensure that the practice of law is conducted with dignity and integrity.

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Another complainant, Llore Pasco, whose two sons were killed in an alleged drug war operation, highlighted the need for the judiciary’s intervention. 

“We wanted justice. I was there when Duterte testified at the Quadcom hearings, and he was obviously trying to intimidate us. We asked the esteemed justices of the Supreme Court to protect us from people like him who used their status as a lawyer to try to make wrong and reprehensible things seem right,” she said.

For Liezel Asuncion, the widow of a slain activist, Duterte’s public statements further justified the need for disbarment. 

“Duterte continued to speak out in favor of human rights violations. He should have been disbarred for his unacceptable conduct and pernicious abuse of his position that devalued human life and undermined respect for civil liberties,” she said.

Palabay emphasized the importance of the Supreme Court’s action against Duterte, particularly as he served as a legal counsel for his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who was facing multiple impeachment complaints. 

“Spare us from Duterte’s further antics and unabashed demagoguery. He degraded our public discourse on human and people’s rights, but much, much worse, he attacked and sought to destroy the human dignity of ordinary Filipinos,” Palabay said. 

Palabay emphasized the significance of the disbarment petition, pointing out that Rodrigo Duterte had taken on the role of legal counsel for his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who was facing multiple impeachment complaints. 

She voiced optimism that the Supreme Court would give the petition due consideration. The petitioners were likewise confident that their efforts would set a precedent for holding public figures accountable and strengthening the rule of law in the country.

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