De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde spearheaded the forum “Duterte’s Crimes Against Humanity and Putin’s War Crimes” on Nov. 17 at the Manila Ballroom, Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle, gathering human rights advocates to discuss state-led violence in the Philippines and Ukraine.
The conference was organized by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, in collaboration with Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG).
Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio, SDG Dean, opened the conference. He warmly welcomed all guests, emphasizing the importance of the forum—that justice is not just a western concept but rather a universal demand.
Dr. Almut Besold of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation then greeted the crowd enthusiastically in Tagalog, acknowledging the organizers who had made the conference possible. Her speech was succeeded by the first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Philippines, Mr. Oleksandr Lysak, who expressed his gratitude for the continued partnership of the Ukraine and the Philippines.
De Lima on Duterte’s War on Drugs
The event’s first keynote speaker, Hon. Leila De Lima, Mamamayang Liberal (ML) partylist representative and former chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, began her speech with a background on the years of violence that took root in Davao City during the 1980s.
She recounted a formal investigation conducted on the dissolved Davao Death Squad (DDS), a tally of 2,000 to 3,000 victims, “These were fathers, sons, and young boys whose names were mostly unrecorded,” she remarked.
Hon. De Lima then recounted her swift ouster as Committee Chairperson and her subsequent arrest in 2017 on fabricated charges. Undeterred even behind bars, she recalled submitting a communication to the ICC regarding Duterte’s rampaging war crimes. As justice eventually unfolded and she was freed, she later stood as a resource person in Duterte’s trial, testifying against him.
“Vindication is not justice,” she declared, “Justice belongs to the thousands who lost their lives.”
Hon. de Lima lauded the strength and solidarity of the people, reminding them that their struggles are not isolated and calling for the continuous fight for justice. “In the name of the dead, in the name of the living, and in the name of all who refuse to be silenced, we continue to fight.”
Atty. Matviichuk on Civic Resistance in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Atty. Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, opened her address by reminding the audience that war reduces people into numbers and it is our job to bring back their names.
She recounted the case of a 10-year old boy who survived a tank but witnessed his mother burn alive. “Can we still rely on the law, or does brutal force decide our future?” She asked.
She described the shared authoritarian mindset of regimes that treat citizens as subjects to be controlled, but emphasized that civic resistance endures. “Ordinary people can make history,” she said, recounting when Kyiv came under heavy attack and all international institutions withdrew, it was the ordinary residents who provided food, medicine, and protection.
Ukraine, she noted, fights for human rights as much sovereignty, insisting that peace cannot come through surrender or occupation.
Courage, accountability, and collective action
Following the keynote speeches, Amnesty International Philippines section director, Mr. Ritz Lee Santos III highlighted the shared courage of the two speakers.
He warned that impunity thrives when citizens turn away. “Their crimes are also on us,” he said, urging the audience to join the fight in preserving public memory of the innocents who suffered at the hand of these regimes.
“Courage is contagious,” he added, “It infects those who witness it, and once infected we can never return to the comforts of indifference.”
A panel discussion followed with Hon. de Lima, Atty. Oleksandra, and Mr. Santos, moderated by Benildean alumnus Atty. Raeyan Reposar. The discussion examined human rights violations under former President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the forms of resistance emerging, the importance of documentation, and the need for international cooperation in pursuing justice.
For the closing keynote, Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award Laureate, honored the widows and mothers of drug war victims present in the room, asking them to rise and be recognized. His message centered on the human cost of state violence and the ongoing need to advocate for truth and accountability.
The event ended with the presentation of tokens, a group photo, and afternoon refreshments, closing a forum that highlighted the shared struggles of Filipinos and Ukrainians in confronting impunity and authoritarian power.
