RAMON Magsaysay Awards 2025 recipient Fr. Flaviano Villanueva yesterday said holding accountable those behind the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs is part of the healing process of the victims and their families.
In an online media briefing, Villanueva said
victims who sought refuge in the “Paghilom” program of the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center are waiting for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
“The program design of Paghilom follows that tripod of dignified, systematic, and holistic care. Thus, if we talk about holistic care, the face of justice has several faces,” he said.
“Justice also means seeking accountability and breaking the cycle of impunity,” he added.
Villanueva said he believes many of the families of the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) are now ready to fight for justice as seen in their psycho-spiritual interventions at the Kalinga Center.
“The desire to relay their narratives comes from them. That spells empowerment, which is equal to justice,” said the priest.
Further proof of this, he said, is that several Paghilom beneficiaries will be participating in the Duterte case pending before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The widows, from their own capacity and desire, they have filed petitions and charges at the ICC,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva is one of the three recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards for 2025, along with Foundation to Educate Girls Globally or Educate Girls from India, and Shaahina Ali from the Maldives.
Villanueva is being acknowledged for spearheading the fight for justice for victims of the war on drugs and providing care for the families left behind.
