DAVAO CITY – Davao City first district Rep. Paolo Duterte criticized on Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Senate for opening an exhibit for alleged victims of extrajudicial killings, saying it reflects selective remembrance and political bias.
Duterte said the Museo ng Paghilom – featuring the stories of alleged EJK victims and their families seeking truth, justice, and healing – showed “selective mourning and convenient amnesia.”
He claimed that lawmakers chose to highlight alleged victims of the anti-illegal drugs campaign and failed to recognize those who lost their lives in the line of duty such as the SAF 44.
Duterte also cited the lack of attention given to police officers and soldiers who have died fighting criminality, terrorism, and insurgency, as well as civilians who were victims of drug-related crimes.
He said that communities harmed by illegal drugs, including families of children allegedly abused or killed by drug dependents, are often left out of public discourse.
Duterte said the Senate’s actions reflect “selective empathy” and are driven more by politics than by genuine concern for human rights and justice.
He said that the government’s war on drugs did not emerge in isolation but was a response to decades of neglect, corruption, and tolerance of the illegal drug trade.