MANILA, Philippines — Human rights defenders and families of extrajudicial killing (EJKs) victims have filed a disbarment complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte before the Supreme Court on Friday, January 17.
The 17 complainants seek to revoke Duterte’s license to practice law, citing alleged violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) concerning the human rights abuses committed during his administration, including his drug war campaign.
The complainants are:
- Vicente Jaime “VJ” Topacio
- Llore Pasco
- Liezel Asuncion
- Rosenda Lemita
- Lean Porquia
- Satur Ocampo, former Bayan Muna representative
- Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general
- Father Manuel Gatchalian
- Eleanor Llanes
- Ofelia Balleta, Hustisya secretary general
- Norma Dollaga
- Orly Marcellana
- Raymond Palatino, Bayan secretary general
- Tina-Agel Romero
- Bonifacio Ilagan
- JL Burgos
- Krista Dalena
The case stems from Duterte's invocation of his role as a lawyer and prosecutor. On Christmas Day last year, his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, announced that her father would join her legal team for any cases she may face.
So far, three impeachment complaints have been filed at the lower chamber against Sara, accusing her of misusing public funds.
“This petition for disbarment is especially relevant, since Rodrigo Duterte has presented himself as one of the legal counsels of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who is currently facing at least three impeachment complaints,” Palabay said in a statement.
This came after the budget and congressional hearings on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) bared irregularities in confidential fund spending in 2022 and 2023.
The Duterte patriarch, however, has also been investigated by the House of Representatives for the drug-related killings and purported reward system that funded police officers to shoot dead drug suspects.
He even admitted to giving excess funds to the police after anti-illegal drug operations, even if they led to a suspect’s death.
Human rights groups have estimated the drug war’s death toll to range from 12,000 to 30,000 — data recognized by the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is also investigating the war on drugs.
Who are the complainants?
Topacio, a lawyer, lost his parents to extrajudicial killing in November 2020. They were two consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) who were killed inside their home.
“It is time for us to appeal to the Supreme Court to reinforce how the law should work in the Philippines, how the law should shield victims of human rights violations as they seek justice and should ensure dignified and proper conduct in the practice of law,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Pasco is a mother whose sons — Crisanto and Juan Carlos — were found dead on Oct. 12, 2017. They were allegedly killed during anti-illegal drug operations of the police.
Asuncion endured a similar grief after the loss of her husband, union leader Manny Asuncion, on March 7, 2021, during simultaneous raids by police and military personnel in the Southern Tagalog region.
“Duterte continues to speak out in favor of human rights violations. He should be disbarred for his unacceptable conduct and pernicious abuse of his position that devalues human life and undermines respect for civil liberties,” she said.
The raids, dubbed the “Bloody Sunday Massacre,” also led to the deaths of eight other activists. Two of them were Lemita’s daughter Ana Marize and son-in-law Ariel Evangelista.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Porquia’s father, Jory, was shot 14 times on April 30, 2020 in Iloilo City. He was a Bayan Muna coordinator in Panay.
The other complainants are human rights defenders and known cultural workers.
“We ask that the law be fairly rendered, so that the most basic right to life of Filipinos is protected and so our people will trust and believe in our courts and the possibility of justice,” Topacio said.
The complainants asked the Supreme Court for help, Palabay said, to spare them from “Duterte's further antics” and “unabashed demagoguery.”
“He degrades our public discourse on human and people’s rights, but much, much worse, he attacks and seeks to destroy the human dignity of ordinary Filipinos,” she added.
The DOJ has begun investigating the Duterte administration’s EJKs and is considering filing crimes against humanity charges against the perpetrators.