CHR welcomes Quad Committee's push for crimes against humanity charges over Duterte drug war killings

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomed the House Quad Committee's recommendation to pursue crimes against humanity charges over thousands of extrajudicial killings linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war.

In a statement released Tuesday, December 24, the CHR emphasized its consistent monitoring of testimonies and affidavits from the quad committee's 13 hearings held between August and December 2024.

The commission noted that it has been investigating events since Duterte was mayor of Davao City, including operations by the Davao Death Squad, which lawmakers believe served as a template for his war on drugs.

Around 12,000 to 30,000 lives were lost in the drug war, nearly double the government's estimate due to unreported and uninvestigated cases, according to human rights watchdogs.

The Quad Committee has filed House Bill 10986 to classify extrajudicial killings as heinous crimes and impose penalties on perpetrators, with harsher punishments for state officials involved.

CHR also credited civil society groups and families of EJK victims who have long sought justice from the government and actively participated in the House probe.