Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan has appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a special body to investigate the thousands of deaths linked to the previous administration’s drug war.
In a letter dated Nov. 7, he said a “National Truth and Reconciliation Commission” would help restore dignity to victims’ families who continue to seek justice and closure.
The proposed commission, according to him, would not seek vengeance but truth, accountability, and compassion, “and help our country move forward with honesty and moral clarity.”
He said the body could provide victims and witnesses a safe venue, review unresolved cases, and recommend reparations, support, and institutional reforms to prevent future abuses.
“Truth-telling is not an act of reopening wounds– it is the only path by which wounds can finally heal,” David wrote. “Silence breeds resentment and fear, truth restores dignity, trust, and moral coherence to our democracy.”
The cardinal said the creation of such a commission would send “a powerful message” that the country chooses “courage over fear, accountability over impunity, and reconciliation over silence.”
“It would reaffirm a principle that lies at the heart of our democracy and our shared faith traditions: that every human life has dignity and worth,” he said.
David said his diocese, often described as the “ground zero” of the drug war killings, continues to encounter widowed mothers and orphaned children left traumatized and fearful.
Many of these families, he added, lost not only relatives but also trust in public institutions, their sense of security, and, in many cases, their means of livelihood.
“They deserve closure. Our institutions deserve restoration. Our nation needs healing,” David said.
