Various human rights groups and families of the victims of war on drugs said that the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday is a crucial step toward achieving justice.

In a statement, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) chairperson Peter Murphy said that the arrest of Duterte is "a historic moment for the victims and their families who have long suffered under Duterte’s reign of terror".

"Duterte’s arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule", he added.

Rise Up for Life and for Rights (Rise Up), an alliance representing families of extrajudicial killing victims, said that the arrest of Duterte sparked hope and joy for the victims' family.

"I'm having mixed feelings now. I feel like crying, I really want to see Duterte in jail. He should pay for what he did to us", Jane Lee, spouse of one of the victims, said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) logged over 6,000 individuals were killed during the war on drug campaign while around 30,000 deaths were being claimed by human rights groups.

“Duterte’s arrest on an ICC warrant is a hopeful sign for victims in the Philippines and beyond. It shows that suspected perpetrators of the worst crimes, including government leaders, can and will face justice, wherever they are in the world", Amnesty Philippines said in a statement.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) called " for a fair and impartial legal process "process is essential in uncovering the truth and, ultimately, holding perpetrators accountable".

"CHR also takes this opportunity to urge the relevant bodies to guarantee the safety and protection of the families of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings under the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign", it added.

For Amnesty Philippines, the government's probe should not stop with the arrest of the former President.

“Former President Duterte was at the centre of a grave human rights crisis in the country, but he is not the only one suspected of criminal responsibility ... It is incumbent on the present government that investigations and prosecutions do not end with his arrest and extend to domestic-level accountability for all those responsible for human rights violations in the ‘war on drugs’.", it said. Marie Manalili/DMS