COMMENTARY: Beyond Politics: Honoring All Victims of the Narco Crisis

The arrest and continued detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has once again divided the Philippines, heightened by the recent denial of the appeal for interim release of the accused. For many families devastated by the narco trade, this is not about abstract notions of sovereignty. It is about seeing their chosen champion prosecuted for a national program they believed in, a campaign they supported out of desperation for protection from the scourge of drugs, even if its methods remain contested. For others, however, the ICC case represents a long-awaited reckoning for the violence and abuses of the drug war. Between these two perspectives lies a nation struggling to reconcile pain, justice, and unity.

Victims of the Narco Trade

Illegal drugs have devastated thousands of Filipino families. The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) reported 5,546 admissions to drug treatment and rehabilitation centers in 2023, a 43% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, 4,425 were new cases, underscoring the scale of families affected by addiction (DDB report).

Parents have buried children, children have grown up without parents, and barangays have struggled against the corrosive effects of syndicates that prey on the vulnerable. These victims remind us that the drug menace is not an abstract policy issue—it is a lived tragedy.

Victims of the Drug War

At the same time, the campaign against drugs has left its own trail of grief. Government data acknowledges over 6,000 deaths in official police operations during Duterte’s presidency (Inquirer). Independent monitors like the Dahas Project documented 3,017 drug-related killings in the first three and a half years of Duterte’s administration, distinguishing between police operations, vigilante killings, and other causes (Dahas Project).

Government figures cover official police operations, while independent monitors track a wider range of drug-related killings. Families mourn loved ones killed in police operations, vigilante attacks, or caught in crossfires. Communities carry scars of fear and mistrust. For these victims, the promise of protection was overshadowed by the reality of violence. Their pain is no less real, no less deserving of recognition.

The Danger of Division

When we acknowledge only one set of victims, we deny the suffering of the other. This selective empathy fuels division and allows opportunistic leaders to exploit grief for political gain. The ICC proceedings, whatever their outcome, should not be reduced to partisan theater. They are part of a larger struggle to reconcile justice, accountability, and sovereignty.

A Path Toward Dialogue

As a peacebuilding practitioner, I once broached the idea of a dialogue between the two sets of victims: families devastated by drugs, and families devastated by the drug war. The vision was simple and intended for them to realize that they are both victims under different circumstances, but within the same broken societal system.

Nobody bought that idea then. But I believe it remains essential today. Mindanao has shown before that dialogue between divided communities is possible – between Moro and Christian, between indigenous and settler. Why not between victims of drugs and victims of the drug war? If these two groups can sit together, listen to each other’s pain, and acknowledge their shared humanity, they can begin to envision a common future: one where communities are safe from both drugs and violence, where rehabilitation and accountability coexist, and where no family has to suffer again.

A Call for Unity

We must remove the wedge that divides the taongbayan; resist those who weaponize our pain. Our national narrative owes to honor two existing truths: 1) That illegal drugs have destroyed lives and communities, and 2) That the methods used to fight them have also inflicted harm.

Healing begins when we recognize both wounds. Justice must be pursued for those unlawfully killed, and compassion must be extended to those trapped in addiction. Accountability must be demanded of institutions, while support must be given to communities rebuilding from devastation. Dialogue between victims can be the bridge to this healing.

The Filipino’s Battle Outside ICC

The ICC case will run its course. Politicians will continue to posture and pursue their self-interests. But ordinary Filipinos can choose a different path: one of empathy, balance, and unity.

This moment goes beyond the partisan battles of the 2028 national presidential elections. It is about the very spirit of the nation. Without unity, Filipinos cannot act together against the massive corruption that drains our nation’s strength and drives us toward bankruptcy.

We are one nation, carrying two sets of victims. Healing begins when we honor them both, and when they honor each other. Only then can we summon the unity needed to confront corruption and rebuild our future.

(Jules L. Benitez is a community and humanitarian development consultant to barangays and municipalities in Mindanao where he had facilitated numerous disaster risk mapping and planning among LGUs.)