For many Filipinos, Rodrigo Duterte's transfer to the International Criminal Court was a milestone in their quest for justice. But some were conflicted.
Emily Soriano was doing laundry this week when a friend burst into her home with news of their years-long quest for justice.
In December 2016, gunmen burst into a home in their poor neighborhood north of Manila and started shooting. They killed seven people, including three children and a pregnant woman. Ms. Soriano and her friend Isabelita Espinosa each lost a son, both teenagers.
To the victims’ families, the massacre seemed senseless, like the thousands of other extrajudicial killings carried out during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called drug war. Ms. Soriano and Ms. Espinosa have long held him responsible for the deaths of their sons, Angelito Soriano, 15, and Sonny Espinosa, 16, who they say were innocent.
The women said Mr. Duterte's arrest on Tuesday on charges of crimes against humanity was a milestone toward bringing him to justice.
“What matters to me now is that justice is served,” Ms. Espinosa said. “And that we do not allow these butchers and tyrants to remain in power. We must fight back.”
