Veteran journalist and broadcaster Arnold Clavio has criticized those expressing sympathy for former President Rodrigo Duterte, following his recent arrest and extradition to The Hague for crimes against humanity.
Clavio took to Instagram to share a quote card featuring Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old victim of Duterte’s war on drugs, who was shot and killed by authorities during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan in 2017. The image included Kian’s final words before he was fatally shot:
“Tama na po! Tama na po. May test pa po ako bukas.”
In his caption, Clavio condemned the argument that Duterte, at 79 years old, deserves sympathy because of his age. He reminded the public of the many young lives lost during Duterte’s controversial Oplan Tokhang campaign.
Clavio called out Duterte’s supporters who are pleading for compassion for the former president.
“EHEM: Sabi nila, ‘HINDI NA SILA NAAWA KAY DUTERTE, MATANDA NA!’
“Teka, noong WALANG AWA nilang pinatay si Kian, 17 yrs. old, si Joshua, 17 yrs. old, si Jemboy, 17 yrs. old, NAAWA ba sila sa mga menor de edad?”
“Sa araw na ito, simula ninyo nang makamit ang katarungan.”
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His post quickly went viral, sparking discussions among netizens about the thousands of extrajudicial killings that occurred under Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
Senator Risa Hontiveros also issued a statement, calling Duterte’s arrest a moment of justice for the families of drug war victims.
“Dumating na ang araw na hinihintay ng mga pamilya ng libo-libong Pilipino na napatay sa madugong ‘tokhang’ ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte,” she said.
Hontiveros urged Malacañang to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Interpol, ensuring that Duterte faces legal accountability.
“I also hope that Malacañang will honor its word and accede to all requests of the ICC, through the Interpol, and ensure that justice will run its full course.”
She further emphasized that Duterte was not the only one responsible for the extrajudicial killings, urging authorities to go after other officials involved.
“The thousands of Filipinos killed during tokhang were not murdered by one man alone. Sana ay simula pa lang ito ng paghahabol sa lahat ng mga opisyal at kawani ng gobyerno na responsable sa pagpatay sa inosente o walang kalaban-laban.”
Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, upon landing in the Philippines from Hong Kong, following an arrest warrant issued by the ICC. He was immediately transferred to The Hague, Netherlands, where he will stand trial for crimes against humanity, including the deaths of thousands during his administration’s drug war.
