If the House of Representatives truly wants to give justice to victims of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, perhaps its human rights committee chairperson Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. could benefit from a crash course on dealing with grief and trauma. 

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Then maybe he wouldn’t be berating human rights lawyer Kristina Conti for bringing only three families to testify during the second day of the House probe on extrajudicial killings, saying that more should speak publicly if they want to get justice. 

Abante on Wednesday, June 5, said that “being afraid” is a “preposterous reason” to still hide, given that his committee promised protection to the families and that other Duterte-era officials already spoke of possible violations. He added that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has “compassion.” 

It’s the same PNP whose anti-illegal drug operations led to more than 6,000 deaths under Duterte and the same PNP that has yet to fully cooperate with independent agencies such as the Commission on Human Rights when it comes to investigations.

“My goodness, how can we have justice here kung hindi lumalabas ang mga magulang ng mga biktima natin? That’s the reason why nahihirapan ang mga kapulisan natin,” Abante told Conti, secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers-NCR and long-time legal counsel of victims.

(My goodness, how can we have justice if mothers of victims do not come forward? That’s the reason why police have a hard time.) 

But Conti correctly clarified that not all families have the capacity and capability to publicly talk about their experience, emphasizing that “the psychosocial support that we provide to victims takes years, it’s retraumatizing for them…” 

Conti, an accredited assistant counsel at the International Criminal Court, did not even finish discussing the importance of sensitivity in handling trauma when she was abruptly cut off by Abante. He said he is laying his life on the line for the hearing. 

“Ang frustration ko lang is this, dahil natatakot? Aba’y hindi na kailangan matatakot dito, kung ako nga tinatapangan ko ang sarili ko,” the legislator said.

(My frustration is that they are afraid. They have no reason to be afraid. Look at me, I’m being brave here.) 

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How can the legislator compare himself to how families – mostly coming from the poorest communities – deal with their quest for justice? After all, those left behind do not have the same protection and benefits that he, as an elected official, enjoys.

“Kaya ba niya siguraduhin na kapag umuwi kami, hindi kami pasusundan? Na hindi magiging ulilang lubos mga anak namin?” Linda (not her real name) told Rappler on Wednesday. Her husband was killed by the police in 2016 and since then has had to move houses at least five times out of fear.

(Can he ensure that we wouldn’t be followed home? That our children won’t be full orphans?)

Abante told Rappler that families will be “well-protected” inside the House, but will still consult with the liaison officer and the House sergeant-at-arms on ways to provide protection outside.

“We could be able to offer them ample protection and I will talk to the sergeant-at-arms on what we could do about that,” Abante said after the hearing.

Conti said that there was even no offer of temporary accommodations for those who were scheduled to speak during the hearing.

“The temporariness of this hearing has permanent repercussions kasi public statements ito (because these are public statements),” she said. “Nakita ka ng lahat, nakita ka ng kapitbahay mo, nakita ka ng perpetrator (You’re seen by everyone, your neighbor, even the perpetrator).”

She also said that one way the House can help is to ensure protection from the police and even from prosecution.

Families that Rappler spoke with over the years consistently spoke of incidents of harassment and fear regardless of whether or not they decide to seek legal action. Many of these families were forced to leave their communities and livelihood to escape more violence, while those who stayed faced constant visits from police, as Rappler found out in early 2023.  

These experiences did not stop when Duterte left office in June 2022, especially as ICC developments continued to unfold.

“We allow the victims to process their grief and their healing at their own pace,” Conti reminded the House of Representatives. 

Let’s hope Abante keeps that in mind. – With reports from Lian Buan/Rappler.com