'Anak, kaunti na lang': Hope resurfaces for families of drug war victims

Metro Manila, Philippines - It took over seven years for some families of drug war victims to have a glimpse of justice with the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte to face the International Criminal Court.

Nanette Castillo, mother of then 32-year-old victim Aldrin, could not believe the news of  Duterte’s arrest.

She said she was flooded with messages on Tuesday, March 11, shortly after authorities arrested the former president backed by an ICC warrant and the assistance of the International Criminal Police Organization.

“Feeling ko gusto kong magpa-street dance party. Sa totoo lang. Gusto ko ipasara iyong isang kalye at kasama iyong mga nanay na sayawan, kantahan,” Castillo told NewsWatch Plus.

[Translation: I feel like I want to have a street dance party. Honestly, I want to close off a street and have the moms join in dancing and singing]

Masked gunmen shot Aldrin on Oct. 2, 2017 in Tondo, Manila at the height of Duterte’s drug war.

In an interview with NewsWatch Plus in October 2024, she said the case was not investigated, adding that police at the time said her son could have been a suspected drug offender.

With Duterte about to stand trial, Castillo said justice for Aldrin is within reach.

“Sana lang kung makukulong si Duterte mabubuhay siya sana ganun iyong kapalit pero napaka-imposible. Pero ito yung pinangako na talaga naming lalabananan namin…

At ito na iyon anak. Kaunting kaunti na lang. Kakapitan ko pa iyong kaunting kaunting panahon na iyon,” she said in tears.

[Translation: "I just hope that if Duterte gets imprisoned, Aldrin could live again, but that’s impossible. But this is our promise; that we will fight… And this is it, my child. Just a little while. I’ll hold on to that little bit of time left.]

Sheerah Escudero, sibling of another drug war victim in Laguna, was also in disbelief upon learning about Duterte’s arrest

She said the former president stole precious time from her family when her brother, Ephraim, was murdered in September 2017.

Ephraim’s remains were found in Pampanga after missing for a few days, his head wrapped in packaging tape.

“Paalala siya na totoo ang nangyari. Hindi arestuhin si Duterte kung walang namatay sa ilalim ng administrasyon niya,” said Escudero.

[Translation: Duterte’s arrest was a reminder that the killing was real. He will not be arrested if no one was killed under his administration]

The next battle

While the families of drug war casualties found relief from Duterte's arrest, they admit the fight for justice is not over.

Castillo said the accountability should extend beyond Duterte.

“Sunod-sunod na sila lahat ng gumanap sa war on drugs, lahat ng may pakana nito ng patayan, lahat ng may dugo sa kamay nila, mananagot sila,” she said, pointing to Duterte’s former police chiefs.

[Translation: All those who carried out the war on drugs, all those who orchestrated these killings, all those with blood on their hands, they will be held accountable.]

Escudero said she hopes that the ICC would carry out a fair trial.

She also challenged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to have the country rejoin the Rome Statute that established the ICC, after Duterte exited from the treaty in 2019.

“Kung totoong pro sya sa justice sa human rights ay mag-re-reaffirm and reaffiliate sya sa ICC…Gawin niya anong tama at hindi para lang magpabango at umastang hero dahil hindi siya ang totoong bayani rito,” she said.

[Translation: If he is truly for justice and human rights, he should reaffirm and reaffiliate with the ICC... He should do what’s right, not just to look good and act like a hero, because he is not the real hero here.]