As DOJ admits failures, Marcos admin vows justice for EJK victims

MANILA, Philippines — The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. keen on pursuing justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte, according to the Palace on Friday, March 21. 

Justice Secretary Boying Remulla admitted that efforts to prosecute drug war cases have faltered due to incomplete and unreliable police reports, many of which appear to contain fabricated accounts. This admission reinforces the sentiments of many families of EJK victims who believe justice for their slain loved ones remains elusive in the Philippines.

While Duterte is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s anti-drug campaign, questions linger about accountability for other perpetrators involved in the drug war.

“For now, we have not stopped seeking justice; we have also not stopped fighting illegal drugs,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino.

When pressed for specific measures the Marcos administration could take to address systemic gaps in the country’s justice processes, Castro said individuals are free to file cases. If sufficient evidence is presented, the Department of Justice can bring these cases to court.

“There is a case in the ICC because while justice works for other people, it just happened that the justice to be gained during the war on drugs was not gained during the time of former president Duterte.,” Castro said.

Duterte’s bloody drug war, bolstered by his proclamations that goaded police to kill suspects, saw the deaths of at least 6,000, according to his administration.  However, human rights groups estimate the death toll could be as high as 30,000.

The brutal crackdown on illegal drugs appeared to have primarily targeted the poor, with many of the victims being indigent. Cases of suspects being gunned down and police planting false evidence are widely documented by both the local media and human rights groups.

Despite Duterte's departure from office, however, drug-related killings have continued under the Marcos presidency, according to the Dahas Project, a monitoring effort from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the University of the Philippines Diliman. It reported at least 900 people killed in drug-related operations since Marcos took office.