By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
QUEZON CITY — The Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights) on Wednesday (Dec. 11) called for a human rights-centered drug policy as it presented its Monitoring and Documentation Report 2024 at the La Breza Hotel.
The PhilRights and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) held a Civil Society Organization (CSO) media briefing on “Kaming Mga Naiwan: Mga Kuwento ng Pamilya ng mga Biktima ng Giyera Kontra Droga (We the Left Behind: Stories of Families of Victims of the War on Drugs)” involving PhilRights’ 2017-2024 documentation of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and other human rights violations committed under the so-called war on drugs.
Prof. Nymia Pimentel-Simbulan (Ret.), Executive Director of PhilRights and PAHRA Chairperson, shared key findings from the report.
Prof. Simbulan highlighted the findings and recommendations on the Kaming Mga Naiwan: Mga Kuwento ng Pamilya ng mga Biktima ng Giyera Kontra Droga.
Simbulan said that it involves eight years of In-depth monitoring and documentation evolving patterns: The war on drugs under the Marcos Jr. administration.
Killings have continued well into the Marcos Jr. administrations.
The report documented 255 cases of extrajudicial killings, with most victims being male breadwinners from low-income urban poor communities.
It cited the case of Carmel, a victim of an intergenerational cycle of poverty and abuse.
The second case was that of Apol who lived a comfortable life with her mom Jennie and stepfather Leandro.
Two unidentified gunmen killed Leandro in 2019.
Jennie, Apol’s mother, fell into abusive relationships with men.
Apol, now 17 years old, juggles studying college and working to help her mother.
The third case was that of Kate, a toy vendor and hairdresser, who lost three loved ones in the drug war.
She did not attempt to seek justice due to fear of police retaliation.
The harassment of Kate’s family continued until 2023.
Kate is hoping for Marcos Jr.’s cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and CSO’s support.
The fourth case was that of Gina, a survivor of domestic violence, who was hopeful of the Duterte administration before the growing list of tokhang victims.
Her partner was arrested in September 2023 for alleged illegal gambling and was tortured under detention.
The stories of Carmel, Apol, Kate, and Gina were in the report.
According to Simbulan, as of October 2024, PhilRights has documented 255 drug war victims, most of the victims were male adults within the prductive age, family breadwinners, low- and irregular wage earners.
The 255 EJK victims were documented from May 2016 to October 2024.
Most of the killings were perpetrated in the impoverished areas of Caloocan, Manila, Malabon, Navotas, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and Bocaue, Bulacan.
Around two in five victims were killed in police operations and under police custody.
Around one in five of the victims’ families struggled to pay for the services of funeral parlors.
Costs went from P38,000 to as high as P55,000.
The report underscored the drug war’s devastating multidimensional human impact on the daily lives of families left behind.
PhilRights recommended that the State must categorically acknowledge the enormity of the scale and the systemic nature of the human rights violations perpetrated by the drug war.
Governance that puts at the center the rights and dignity of all citizens should be the default.
Simbulan stressed that the killings have not stopped despite the pronouncements of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. of a “softened” drug policy.
She pointed out that since 2017, PhilRights has been documenting and monitoring EJKs in the context of the drug war and has been submitting “our documentation and reports on a yearly basis for eight years already to the UN international bodies on human rights.”
“There should be a wholistic approach rather than a punitive and violent approach on illegal drugs which has proven to be ineffective,” Simbulan said.
Edgar Cabalitan, PAHRA Secretary-General presented PAHRA’s proposed alternative drug policy in the Philippines.
Cabalitan noted that they observed the International Human Rights Day on Tuesday (Dec. 10).
He said that both the proposed alternative drug policy in 2022 and the pronouncements of the Marcos Jr.’s administration should be held and pushed more profoundly.
Cabalitan added that the alternative drug policy was prompted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s framed drug war.
He noted that thousands of alleged drug suspects have been killed, with many deaths linked to police and vigilante operations.
They are pushing for a human rights-based approach grounded in harm reduction principles.
The key strategies are evidence-based, culturally appropriate interventions, comprehensive, health-centered solutions over punitive measures, among others.
The implementation of the war on drugs was centered on Project Tokhang, which targeted urban poor residents, particularly men, leaving communities traumatized.
It overwhelmed prison systems with extreme congestion, which was 403% in prisons and 348% in jails.
The current punitive, enforcement-focused approach has created a human rights crisis.
A shift to a human rights-centered, harm reduction approach is essential for a sustainable and humane solution to the drug problem in the Philippines.
“There is an existing engagement with the CSO for the 2022 alternative drug policy,” Cabalitan said.
“The Quadcom is only conducting an investigation-in-aid of legislation about the drug war during the Duterte administration,” he added.
However, Cabalitan said, “We have no law against EJK, but we have the Anti-Torture Law.”
Atty. Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD) Secretary-General, discussed legal perspectives on developments related to the drug war in 2024.
Atty. Suarez handled the case of Jennifer Laude against a US serviceman in Olongapo City.
In the drug war, Suarez said, the perpetrators were policemen, adding that 40% of the victims were killed in police custody.
According to her, the perpetrators are the police themselves, the investigations are done by the police who are also familiar with the prosecutors.
She noted that in criminal cases, the judge renders a decision based on legal evidence and guilt beyond reasonable doubt and not based on moral basis.
“It is better to acquit a person who may be guilty rather than convict an innocent man,” Suarez said.
She stressed that why not declare a human rights crisis on drug war, adding that there should be a change in the thinking that “the drug addicts are criminals”.
Suarez admitted that she has a drug addict brother wherein she asked the police to arrest and whom she brought to drug rehabilitation in Bicutan, Taguig City.
She hoped that there will be drug rehabilitation centers in all municipalities all over the country which are subsidized by the government.
