maven lorde

Statement of Leila de Lima on the Arrest of Former President Rodrigo Duterte by the ICC 11 March 2025 This is deeply personal for me. For almost seven years, I was imprisoned on fabricated charges, accused of crimes I did not commit—all because I dared to speak out against Duterte’s drug war. While I was behind bars, thousands of Filipinos were killed without justice, their families left to grieve with no answers, no accountability. Today, Duterte is being made to answer—not to me, but to the victims, to their families, to a world that refuses to forget. This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course. I faced my case, knowing I was innocent. I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide. Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law. This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else. To those who have fought this long and difficult fight—your voices mattered, your courage mattered, and today, the pursuit of justice continues.