CBCP calls on President Marcos Jr. to establish a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate 12,000–30,000 drug war killings and heal the nation.
Newsroom (11/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has formally appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to establish an independent National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to confront the brutal legacy of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, which human rights organizations say claimed between 12,000 and 30,000 lives from 2016 to 2022.
In a strongly worded open letter dated November 7, CBCP President and Kalookan Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David urged the creation of a commission that would “restore dignity to victims’ families who continue to seek justice and closure” while offering the country a path toward genuine healing.
“Truth-telling is not an act of reopening wounds — it is the only path by which wounds can finally heal,” Cardinal David wrote. “Silence breeds resentment and fear; truth restores dignity, trust, and moral coherence to our democracy.”
The proposed body would not pursue vengeance, the prelate emphasized, but rather truth, accountability, and compassion. It would provide a safe space for victims and witnesses, review thousands of unresolved cases, recommend reparations and psychosocial support, and propose institutional reforms to prevent future abuses.
Cardinal David, whose Diocese of Kalookan was described as “ground zero” of the bloody campaign, continues to minister to widowed mothers and orphaned children still traumatized by the violence that tore through poor urban communities.
“Many families have lost not only loved ones but also trust in public institutions, their sense of safety, and their livelihoods,” he wrote. “They deserve closure. Our institutions deserve restoration. Our nation needs healing.”
The call comes eight months after Duterte’s dramatic arrest by Interpol on March 11, 2025, and his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity linked both to the national drug war and to the alleged “Davao Death Squad” killings during his long tenure as mayor of Davao City.
Supporters of the former president have condemned the ICC case as politically motivated, while families of victims and human rights defenders have hailed it as a historic step toward accountability.
By establishing a domestic truth commission, Bishop David argued, the Marcos administration would send “a powerful message that the country chooses courage over fear, accountability over impunity, and reconciliation over silence.”
“It would reaffirm a principle that lies at the heart of our democracy and faith traditions — that every human life has dignity and worth,” he concluded.
As of press time, Malacañang Palace has not issued an official response to the bishops’ appeal.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form UCA News
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