29/05/2026
Adamson University College of Law Statement of Support for the EJK Truth Commission.
After nearly a decade since the commencement of the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, justice remains elusive for many of its victims — particularly the poor and the vulnerable — and their families. Compounding this injustice, the accounts of those who endured this campaign have often been discredited or doubted in the face of political idolatry. While the drug menace is undeniably a scourge that “must be curtailed with resoluteness and determination,” jurisprudence is equally clear that “a battle waged against illegal drugs that tramples on the rights of the people is not a war on drugs. It is a war against the people.” (People v. Narvas, G.R. No. 241254, July 8, 2019).
Every community of legal professionals bears the avowed duty to ensure that systemic violations of human rights are never repeated. In this light, the Adamson University College of Law welcomes the formation of the independent EJK Truth Commission and expresses its support for its initiative to establish a definitive and credible record of extrajudicial killings and related human rights violations in the country. As a Vincentian institution of legal learning, we affirm that truth must be heard, safeguarded, and retold, so that similar atrocities are never again committed, especially when committed under the guise of protecting national security. With confidence in the solidarity of our people and trust in the rule of law, we hope these efforts may contribute to a future where “justice will flow like a river and righteousness like an overflowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
In doing so, we likewise commit ourselves to greater vigilance in upholding truth, justice, and the rule of law in the communities we serve and in the legal profession to which we have dedicated ourselves, in faithful pursuit of our Vincentian mission to serve and stand with the poor and the marginalized.
