September 15, 2021 – The International Criminal Court has finally authorized the investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings in the Philippines under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte. The investigation will cover the time of Duterte’s reign as Davao Mayor up to March 16, 2019 when his administration seemingly tried to escape accountability by withdrawing from the ICC.

Duterte has, on several occasion, announced that he will protect law enforcers should they murder in the name of his infamous war on drugs. He even admitted that his “only sin is extra-judicial killings” – a statement explained by his lackeys as simply being playful even as dead bodies piled up with both witnesses and evidence contradicting the usual police narrative that the victims all fought back. These accounts were later confirmed by a UN investigation that suggests that the police planted evidence to justify these killings.

The murders are all part of Duterte’s campaign promise in 2016 – a promise that was backed by a history of murders in his own hometown. When brought up during the campaign, the Duterte camp dismissed the death squad association as mere propaganda, conveniently leaving out the fact that these stories surfaced long before his bid for the presidency.

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The thing about fighting for human rights is you cannot nitpick and support only what benefits your politics. You cannot claim to be a rights advocate and speak for the LGBTQIA+ community if you support misogyny, abuse, and murder – all of which are represented to the very core by Duterte.

Of course, people are free to support abusive madmen and murderers but they should do so under their own name. They should not drag the name of an entire group of people whose struggles may be aligned with those who are oppressed and victimized by this administration. We cannot forward our own agenda while maintaining support for the rotten politicians whose words and deeds have claimed the lives of thousands of FIlipinos.

LGBT Pilipinas Party-list group claims to be “a grassroots alliance and national network of LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations, including allies, that seek to campaign LGBTQ+ human rights and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.” The page has consistently supported Duterte since it was created in 2017. It registered the group name – Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders Pilipinas Inc. at the SEC in 2016.

In 2021, they have dedicated several posts campaigning for the presidential daughter. On September 4, 2021, a propaganda page based in Davao mentioned the group in an article saying, “LGBT Pilipinas and its allied and network organizations are collectively throwing their “unflinching loyalty” and “all-out support” to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte if she decides to run for President in the 2022 national elections.” Because of the name of the group, it can be deceptively construed that they speak for the LGBTQIA+ community in the country. This cannot be further from the truth and a cheap attempt at using the community for their appalling choice of politicians.

Read below the full statement of over 40 LGBTQIA+ organizations and personalities that stand against what this group supports.

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When I was in college, I joined the League of Filipino Students (LFS), a group known for protesting against state injustices and fighting for the rights of the poor and marginalized Filipinos. It never felt like it was a good fit for me.

During discussions about how certain laws were supposed to be unjust, I found myself being the devil’s advocate. I would always argue for the debated law and how it could be beneficial if only it were implemented properly. I further affirmed that I was wrong for the movement on the first rally that I attended when we had not even gone beyond University Ave in UP Diliman and I thought, “Ay, ang init. Kayo nalang.” I then promptly left, enjoyed a cake at the Chocolate Kiss Cafe, and ended my rather short stint as an activist. Or so I thought.

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