Tearful families of drug war victims hail Duterte's arrest

Prayers of thanksgiving mingled with quiet sobs on Tuesday as family members of people slain during former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war gathered for a mass celebrating his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity.

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Widows and mothers carefully placed framed photographs of their dead husbands and sons in front of the altar at the Sacred Heart Parish in a Manila suburb, casualties of a crackdown that activists say killed tens of thousands of mostly poor men.

The women said Duterte's arrest on Tuesday morning by police serving an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant was an "answered prayer."

Father Flaviano Villanueva, a Catholic priest and fierce opponent of the drug war, recalled in his homily the despair the relatives felt while waiting for justice, likening news of Duterte's arrest to a long-closed prison cell finally being flung open.

"I hope this arrest will pave the way for the complete healing of our country, for people to remember that justice will prevail," Villanueva told AFP after his sermon.

Luzviminda Dela Cruz, whose 19-year-old son was killed by police after a raid on a relative's house in 2017, told AFP she felt relieved that "my son has now achieved justice".