Loyalists of former president Rodrigo Duterte gathered in front of the Bacolod City Government Center for a prayer rally Friday night, March 14, ahead of his pre-trial at the International Criminal Court at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Duterte supporter Gibis Alejandrino prayed for God to watch over Duterte and to give him good health and justice.
He also prayed that Duterte feels their love and knows that they will not abandon him.
Nothing is impossible with God for Tatay Digong to attain justice and return to the Philippines, Alejandrino prayed.
Participants chanted “Duterte, Duterte” as Alejandrino ended his prayer.
A Palace official on Friday said there is no cause for alarm over public expressions of sympathy for Duterte, but the focus should remain on the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) linked to his administration’s drug war.
In a Palace press briefing, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government respects the public’s right to express their sentiments and sympathize with the former president.
“Those sympathizing with former President Duterte, that is their right. That will not be stopped; they have the right to grieve and mourn for former President Duterte,” Castro said.
Castro, however, stressed that attention should also be given to the drug war victims.
“We have not seen anything alarming for the administration yet. Perhaps we should also talk about the alleged victims; the public’s attention should not be solely on them,” she said.
She said the pain and suffering of those left behind by the alleged victims of EJK should not be overlooked.
“Right now, people are not noticing what the victims went through, what the families left behind by those allegedly killed in EJKs experienced,” she added.
Castro raised concerns over what she described as the public’s tendency to glorify those accused of serious crimes.
“Why is the attention now on the one accused of killing? Why does it seem like we are glorifying the one accused of murder and crimes against humanity?” Castro asked.
“I hope the public opens their minds. Let them see what the victims and their families,” she added.
Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and local police personnel on Tuesday on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity for the killings committed in the guise of the former leader’s controversial drug war when he was still Davao City mayor and Philippine president.*CPG/PNA-FMC