FORMER Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David challenged Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday, May 25, 2026, to defend the bloody war on drugs of the Duterte administration right in front of the family of their victims.
In a social media post, David said labeling the campaign as a "pro-life" and "human rights" campaign is so outrageous that he doubts Cayetano can say it right in the faces of the victims' families.
"I wonder if he can say this straight to the faces of the thousands of women widowed and children orphaned when their loved ones on mere suspicion of drug involvement, and without benefit of due process were murdered in cold blood," said David.
He said this is because such statements are unacceptable considering the circumstances previously seen.
"Countless victims were not simply shot. They were abducted, tortured, then dropped dead in the streets, their heads wrapped in plastic bags, sealed with packaging tape around their necks -- left to struggle for their last gasp of oxygen until they breathed no more," said David.
Add to this, the Cardinal said, is that such statements are legally intolerable, especially under international law.
"They can constitute 'instigation' or 'aiding and abetting' crimes against humanity under Article 25 of the Rome Statute, when such words provide moral support that emboldens perpetrators and grants them a sense of impunity," noted David.
Over the weekend, Cayetano claimed that the Duterte administration's bloody war on illegal drugs was a "pro-life" and "human rights" campaign.
Cayetano said this is because the prevalence of illegal drugs destroys families and communities. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)