Rodrigo Duterte arrest not about vengeance - de Lima

While the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity was "deeply personal" for former Senator Leila de Lima, she emphasized that what mattered most was that justice was finally within reach for the victims of extrajudicial killings.

"For almost seven years, I was imprisoned on fabricated charges, accused of crimes I did not commit—all because I dared to speak out against Duterte’s drug war," De Lima said in a statement on Tuesday. "While I was behind bars, thousands of Filipinos were killed without justice, their families left to grieve with no answers, no accountability."

"Today, Duterte is being made to answer—not to me, but to the victims, to their families, and to a world that refuses to forget. This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course."

De Lima, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics, was elected senator in 2016. In 2017, she was arrested and accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison during her tenure as Justice Secretary. 

The cases filed against her were dismissed in 2024.

On Tuesday, authorities arrested Duterte for crimes against humanity following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, according to the Presidential Communications Office. 

De Lima stressed that it was time for Duterte to be held accountable for his controversial anti-illegal drug campaign, which claimed the lives of over 6,000 drug suspects, according to government records. Human rights organizations, however, estimate the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents.

"I faced my case knowing I was innocent. I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide. Duterte now has to answer for his actions—not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law," De Lima stated. "This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else."

"To those who have fought this long and difficult fight—your voices mattered, your courage mattered, and today, the pursuit of justice continues." — DVM, GMA Integrated News