22/04/2026
STATEMENT
Regarding the ICC Ruling on Duterteâs Appeal Against Court Jurisdiction
On behalf of Program Paghilom, we welcome todayâs decision as a serious and meaningful step toward justice and healing.
The ruling of the International Criminal Court on its jurisdiction over the period of the so-called war on drugs affirms a fundamental truth: the suffering of victims and their families cannot be buried in silence. Their pain is real. Their voices matter. Their call for accountability must be heard.
We stand in solidarity with the families who, for years, have carried the weight of loss, fear, and unanswered grief. Their quiet cryââTama na poââcontinues to echo, and it calls all of us to conscience.
We remember the lives lost, including the youngâMyca, Aldrin, Kian, and many othersâwhose names remind us of the profound human cost of violence. No society can move forward without first acknowledging its wounds.
As Program Paghilom, we remain committed to walking with the poor, the vulnerable, and the forgotten. We continue the work of healingâpatiently, faithfullyâeven as the pursuit of justice takes its course.
May this moment open a path not only to accountability, but to restorationâso that our wounded nation may begin, at last, to heal as one.
SGD
Rev. Fr. Flavie L. Villanueva, SVD
Founder & President, Program Paghilom
