More than six months after former President Rodrigo Duterte was detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, he now faces three counts of crimes against humanity. This is a slow but vital step toward justice for the thousands killed in his so-called “war on drugs.” For nearly a decade, victims and families have lived with grief and fear while those in power denied the scale of the atrocities, masking them as policy in the name of “safety.” Yet truth always breaks through: thousands were killed, many brutally, and countless others illegally detained—systematically, not incidentally.

The ICC’s move offers hope, but justice delayed is still justice denied. Families continue to wait for answers, recognition, and accountability—while those behind this campaign walk free, sit in public office, and hold power over the nation’s future. Justice cannot stop with Duterte. Every official who designed these policies, every officer who carried them out, every institution that enabled the machinery of violence—must be held to account.

We in DAKILA remain vigilant on the proceedings of this trial. The ICC process is slow, but it cracks open the wall of impunity that long protected the powerful. This progress shows that accountability is possible, while also reminding us not to let this moment be reduced to mere symbolism or tokenism. Justice must be relentless, comprehensive, and rooted in truth-telling, reparations, and structural change. We stand with the victims and their families, demanding that these crimes never be forgotten, downplayed, or repeated. We will continue to resist silence and confront narratives that glorify or excuse state-sanctioned violence.

The struggle for justice is long, but hope endures. Our resistance persists, drawing strength from the victims and the families who refuse to be silenced. We will not rest until every life lost is honored with truth, accountability, and real systemic change.