De Lima, ML party-list to push for compensation fund for EJK victims 

Mamamayang Liberal party-list first nominee Leila De Lima said that if her group wins seats in the House of Representatives, they will file a bill that would create a fund for victims of extrajudicial killings during the former president Rodrigo Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

De Lima said that the proposed EJK Victims Compensation Fund will provide support to the kin of the thousands of EJK victims. 

“Bilang bahagi ng ating patuloy na pakikibaka, ang ML Partylist ay nagsusulong ng isang batas na magtatatag ng EJK Victims Compensation Fund. Layunin nito magbigay ng suporta at kalinga sa mga pamilyang naulila at nawalan dahil sa mga walang habas na pagpatay sa ilalim ng nakaraang administrasyon,” the former senator said in a video statement. 

(As part of our fight, the ML Partylist is pushing for a law establishing an EJK Victims Compensation Fund. This seeks to give care and support to the families who lost their loved ones to the ruthless killings under the previous administration.) 

De Lima, one of Duterte’s fiercest critics, was elected senator in 2016. In 2017, she was arrested and accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison during her tenure as Justice Secretary. 

The cases filed against her were dismissed in 2024.

Authorities arrested Duterte for crimes against humanity following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court

But De Lima earlier emphasized that what mattered most was that justice was finally within reach for the victims of extrajudicial killings.

"Today, Duterte is being made to answer—not to me, but to the victims, to their families, and to a world that refuses to forget. This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course,” the former senator said on Tuesday. 

Government records showed that there were over 6,000 drug suspects killed in operations. Human rights organizations, however, estimate the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents.

The other nominees of ML party-list are Teddy Baguilat and ErinTañada.—Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News

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