​Those who have crticized the International Criminal Court's (ICC) order to arrest former president Rodrigo Duterte should first remember the likes of Kian delos Santos and other drug war victims before bemoaning the former leader's plight, House members have said.

The case before the ICC is about justice for the victims and not about persecuting Duterte, House Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre underscored.

“We’ve been consistently repeating it, etong nangyaring...pag-aresto kay dating Pangulong Duterte… sana ituon natin ‘yung pansin natin hindi kay Presidente Duterte kung hindi doon sa mga biktima ng EJK (We should focus our attention on the victims of EJK and not  the former president)," he said.

"Napakarami po, napakarami po nila (There were many of them, really many of them)," he added,referring to the victims.

Acidre recalled the several young victims of EJKs, including Kian Delos Santos, a 17-year-old student from Caloocan; Carlo Angelo Arnaiz, a 19-year-old University of the Philippines (UP) student; and 14-year-old Renato “Kulot” De Guzman from Nueva Ecija who. They were all killed in 2017 during bloody drug war.

“Sinasabi nila na we surrender daw our sovereignty sa pagka-aresto ni former President Duterte dahil sa ICC warrant. Pero hindi ba mas nakakalungkot na kailangang isang korte sa labas ng bansa pa ang mag-utos para magkaroon ng hustisya yung mga EJK victims (They were saying that we surrendered our sovereignty because of the arrest of Duterte on the basis of the warrant. But isn't it saddening that we still needed an international court to bring justice for the EJK victims)?” Acidre added.

Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega shared this sentiment as he emphasized that justice for the victims should be at the center of discussions.

“Itong mga taong namatay ng walang rason, pinagbabansagan sila na collateral damage lang. This is a story of justice, kuwento po ito ng hustisya, itong mga nangyayari ngayon (Those who were killed without reason, they were tagged as only collateral damage. What's happening now is a story of justice),” Ortega said.

Meanwhile, House Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon said Duterte's war on drugs was never subjected to thorough and comprehensive investigation under his administration, which was why victims sought international intervention.

“If we really observe what happened during the past administration, there was no thorough and comprehensive investigation about the EJKs. In fact, one of the actions taken by the House of Representatives is the investigation about the EJKs, the drugs, the POGO (Philippine Offshore and Gaming Operators) and other controversies,” Bongalon said.

He noted that key figures such as former police official Jovie Espenido had already testified before the House’s investigations, and with Duterte’s arrest, more witnesses could come forward.

Acidre says that Duterte isn't being politically persecuted; instead he is being held accountable for his actions.