Drug war memorial site launched in Caloocan

MANILA, Philippines — A memorial site and columbarium for victims of extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs was inaugurated at the La Loma Catholic Cemetery in Caloocan yesterday.

Eleven victims were the first ones to be inurned at the Dambana ng Paghilom, a structure with  100 vaults that can accommodate four to six urns each.

The inauguration was held by the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Foundation, which was founded by Fr. Flavie Villanueva. The foundation is named after a saint who established the Society of the Divine Word.

In a statement, Villanueva said the memorial symbolizes more than just a final resting place for those killed in the drug war.

“Dambana ng Paghilom is also a statement of hope. Evil will never persist if men, women, senators, ambassadors, people of good conscience, human rights advocates, seminarians, sisters, religious, people at the margins will continue to stand firm for life, truth and peace,” he said.

Villanueva alleged that former president Rodrigo Duterte weaponized the police, resulting in state-sponsored killings that numbered around 6,000. Human Rights Watch had a much higher count of 30,000 killings.

Among those present at the inauguration were Ambassadors Luc Veron of the European Union, Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke of Germany, Marielle Geraedts of the Netherlands and Laure Beaufils of the United Kingdom as well as Sen. Risa Hontiveros and former senator Leila de Lima.

“Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan (We are all accountable for one another), Veron said, quoting a popular church song.

Pfaffernoschke said being at the event reminded him of what happened to his own country during the Holocaust.

“This memorial helps us not to forget and reminds us of our obligation to the future,” he said.

Beaufils expressed her government’s support for the families of the drug war victims, saying they would not be forgotten.

Hontiveros vowed to continue to fight for justice.

“I will not stop using my platform to express my opposition to the war on drugs. We will not stop until we hold those involved accountable,” she said.

De Lima said the memorial is a “singularly significant project to jumpstart the healing of the victims’ families, ignite their hope and strengthen our solidarity in fighting for justice.”

Duterte, his police chief now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and several others are accused of committing crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court for the thousands of deaths in the drug war.