Mother of EJK victim in Cebu: Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest is justice served

As Duterte is arrested, Cebu City sees both cheers and tears

Raquel Lopez is the mother of Rabby, who was killed in a police operation in Cebu City in 2018. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Raquel Lopez, 57, has waited nearly seven years for justice. Her son, Rabby Lopez, was killed in a police operation in Cebu City. As news broke on March 11 that former President Rodrigo Duterte had been arrested and would face trial for crimes against humanity, Raquel felt a weight lift from her chest.

“Mura kog naibtan og tunok pag-ingon sa akong anak nga si Duterte nadakpan na,” she said.

(It seemed like a thorn has been taken out of me after my daughter said that Duterte had already been arrested.)

“2018 pa nga nangayo mi og hustisya. Amo nang gipaningkamutan. Dili lalim tawon nga mawalaan kag anak nga giamoma nimo og tarong unya inganaon ra,” she said.

(We asked for justice since 2018. We tried hard for it. It is not not easy to lose a son that you have taken care of and then they would just do this to him.)

Raquel’s son was inside his room in Barangay Ermita when police broke down the door and fired multiple shots. She recalled hearing gunfire, but was powerless to intervene as law enforcement surrounded their home. By morning, her son’s body was already in the morgue.

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He was 28, a father of two, and a computer technician with no criminal record.

For years, her cries for justice went unanswered. But on March 11, the day she had long waited for arrived.

The arrest

On Tuesday morning, former President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody at Villamor Air Base after being served an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Duterte, who has long been accused of ordering extrajudicial killings during his bloody war on drugs, now faces charges of crimes against humanity.

READ: Cebu allies react to ex-President Duterte’s ICC arrest

For Lopez, the arrest is a crucial step in holding those responsible for the estimated 30,000 deaths, including his son’s, linked to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. For victims’ families, it is a long-overdue reckoning.

The people take to the streets

By late afternoon, still processing the weight of the news, Raquel stood in Fuente Osmeña Circle with progressive groups, joining thousands of Filipinos who hailed Duterte’s arrest.

Protesters carried placards demanding justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, chanting slogans that echoed through the streets.

Jaime Paglinawan, BAYAN-Central Visayas chair, called Duterte’s arrest a “preliminary victory.”

“Pasi-unang kadaugan ang pagdakop sa kanhi presidente Rodrigo Duterte sa iyang kasong crime against humanity,” he said.

(The arrestof the former President Rodrigo Duterte was a first win in his case of crime against humanity.)

“Kini nga pag-aresto ni Duterte usa ka dugay na nga pakigbisog aron makab-ot ang hustisya sa linibong biktima sa pekeng war on drugs,” Paglinawan said.

(This arrest of Duterte is one of our long struggles so that we can reach justice for the thousands of the fake war on drugs.)

He added that this was just the beginning.

Human rights advocates demand accountability not just for Duterte but also for police generals and government officials who enabled the killings.

They called for an impartial investigation into all human rights abuses committed during his administration.

Duterte cries illegal detention

When authorities served the warrant at Villamor Air Base, Duterte did not go quietly. His daughter, Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, captured the moment in a video, where the former president, visibly agitated, demanded to know the legal basis for his detention.

“What is the law and what is the crime that I committed?” Duterte asked. “Show it to me now, the legal basis for my being here. Apparently, I was brought here not of my own volition.”

Former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, present during the arrest, argued that the Philippines had withdrawn from the ICC and questioned the legitimacy of the warrant.

A divided nation

While Duterte’s critics celebrated his arrest, his supporters rallied in Plaza Independencia, Cebu City, and broke into tears of dismay. Led by gubernatorial candidate Pamela Baricuatro, the group held a candle-lighting ceremony and prayer vigil for the former president.

“Tatay Digong is old and sick,” Baricuatro said. “He did everything for the people, yet this is what they do to him. We are here not to cause trouble but to express our sadness.”

Nancy Tapulado, 58, a loyal Duterte supporter, was emotional.

“Sobra na ang mga tawo,” she said. “Wala sila kita sa tinuod nga nahitabo, nagpaka-buta sila ug nagpaka-bungol.”

(What the people did are too much, she said. They did not see what really happened, they acted like a blind and mute person.)