RESEARCH REPORT

THE EFFECTS AND ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS BEHIND THE WAR ON

DRUGS

RIVERA, ANGELICA JOY

JUNE 9, 2022

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction 3

2 Findings 4

2.1 Death Toll of Drug Personalities and Innocent Civilians

2.2 Small Number of Rehabilitation Centers

2.3 Imprisoned and Deaths on Drug War

2.4 Death Certificates and Studies on Falsified Deaths of Victims

3 Conclusion 8

4 Recommendation 9

5 Reference List 10

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1 Introduction

1.1

Thousands of drug addicts and some innocent civilians in the Philippines have been killed since

President Rodrigo Duterte took office and the year he declared war on drugs. Shortly after

entering power, he began collecting the names of drug suspects from local police and political

officials. Hundreds of men are taken from their homes, detained, and interrogated as part of a

"watch list." And because of that, he has been criticized by human rights groups for his

statements showing his endorsement of extrajudicial killings. Duterte's statement and order to

shoot to kill gave the police the courage to kill without fear of possible punishment because they

thought they could cover up and defend some of their dirty deeds. It is really impossible to know

how many individuals have been killed by police and other government officials in the years of

Duterte’s war on drugs because some research has found that police are manipulating evidence to

justify the unlawful killings. Human rights groups believe that drug wars is both morally and

legally wrong. As a result, serious and numerous human rights violations have occurred.

1.2

Information and statements for this report were gathered from various news sources as well as

sources of human rights advocates who have so far fought for justice for innocent civilians

affected by the country’s massive war on drugs, and in order to explore issues related to

extrajudicial violence, they are all cited in the references list.

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2 Findings

2.1 Death Toll of Drug Personalities and Innocent Civilians

Many people were glad when Duterte promised to end the drug problem in six months because

they really wanted a change, but they did not expect the president's drug-fighting weapon to be

murder. Although there has been widespread support for his campaign, the wave of killings that

has followed his election victory has alarmed human rights and foreign organizations. The

official death toll from Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war in the Philippines has risen to 5,000

deaths, months and years later. In July 26, 2017, the Philippine Information Agency reported

68,000 anti-drug operations which resulted in around 97,000 arrests, 1.3 million surrenders, and

around 3,500 drug personalities killed in legitimate police operations. Thousands of others have

been killed by vigilantes, which the police have categorized as "deaths under investigation."

Based on data from the PNP and PDEA from June 2016 to July 2019, 134,583 anti-drug

operations were conducted, 193,086 people were arrested, and 5,526 suspects died during police

operations. ₱34.75 billion worth of drugs were seized.

Estimates of the death toll vary. Officially, 6,229 drug personalities have been killed as of March

2022. News organizations and human rights groups claim the death toll is over 12,000. The

victims included 54 children in the first year. Opposition senators claimed in 2018 that over

20,000 have been killed. The overwhelming majority of these killings have not been properly

investigated.

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2.2 Small Number of Rehabilitation Centers

According to Dangerous Drugs Board data (2017), which included non-accredited rehabs, there

are now 21 public rehabilitation facilities and 33 private rehabilitation facilities, or 54 in all.

Their combined total bed capacity, however, is only 3,529—1,850 in the public facilities and

1,679 in private facilities. There is thus a yawning gap between the fact that there are only 54

rehabilitation facilities for over 1.3 million alleged drug users and pushers who have surrendered,

as of May 23, 2017. According to Philstar (2017), the number of "surrendered" children (26,415

as of Jan. 31, 2017) and women (39,518, as of Jan. 31, 2017) continues to climb, but there aren't

enough resources lined up to meet their needs.

There is no specific rehabilitation program for women and children in any government rehab

institution across the country; kid surrenderees are commonly referred to by government social

workers or even mixed in with adults in already overcrowded rehabilitation facilities and

incarceration centers. Early community-based therapy efforts aimed at women were reported by

DDB, but the program is still far from being fully implemented across the country. Because of

this, Filipinos believe the drug war is only a war against the poor.

This is a reason for human rights groups to take action. They demand that the government end its

brutal anti-drug campaign and that those responsible for deaths and other human rights violations

be investigated and prosecuted. They believe that governments should ensure that human rights

are respected in drug use, possession, manufacturing, and distribution rules and procedures.

2.3 Imprisoned and Deaths on Drug War

Politicians that oppose the drug war are targeted by the administration. In May 2018, the

Philippine Supreme Court took unprecedented action to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes

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Sereno, apparent reprisal for her criticism of Duterte’s “drug war” and other abusive policies.

Since February 2017, Senator Leila de Lima has been jailed on drug charges filed against her,

alleging that she received money from drug lords while serving as justice secretary. She has

repeatedly denied the charges. Human rights groups believe these are fabricated charges intended

to silence her after she launched an investigation into Duterte's drug war. In the same year, Kian

Delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman were three teenagers who were killed on

August 16–18, during the course of the Philippine drug war.

The cases became controversial when the official police reports differed from witness accounts

and CCTV footage. Arnaiz was killed by police supposedly responding to a distress call by a taxi

driver; Delos Santos was slain by cops during a drug raid. They both allegedly shot it out with

the arresting officer, but autopsy results released by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) show

they were handcuffed, dragged, and shot. PAO Chief Persida Acosta believe that De Guzman

was assassinated to prevent him from testifying in the case of murdered student Carl Arnaiz.

Three Philippine police officers have been found guilty of the high-profile murder of a teenager,

the first such convictions since President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" began. Many

civilians were also affected, as shown by human rights organizations, and this is assumed to be

tied to some people's opposition to the drug war.

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2.4 Death Certificates and Studies on Falsified Deaths of Victims

Duterte has defended the police, whom he has instructed about his license order to kill for the

past five years, despite the fact that over 6,000 people have been slain by police during the

crackdown. Activists claim that thousands more drug users and peddlers have been killed by

unknown gunmen, while the authorities continue to deny involvement. According to the

Department of Justice, police used excessive force, shot detainees at close range, and medical

and police documents were missing. After a forensic pathologist revealed that certain death

certificates issued for victims of the country's drug crackdown had been manipulated to claim

they died of natural causes, the Philippine justice secretary promised to initiate an investigation.

Raquel Fortun, one of only two forensic pathologists in the Philippines who has been studying

the remains of drug war victims since last July, presented her findings after looking at 46 people

killed during Duterte's first year in office. A death certificate was missing in one of the 46 cases,

while many others had incomplete certificates. The victims died of natural causes such as sepsis,

pneumonia, and hypertension, according to seven death certificates. According to Fortun's study

of the exhumed remains, 32 of the 46 died of gunshot wounds. At least 24 of them received head

shots. Her findings may cast doubt on the government's drug-war narrative. Human rights groups

accuse Duterte of encouraging lethal violence and claim that the campaign has resulted in the

mass murder of unarmed drug suspects.

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3 Conclusions

In some PDEA records, the total number of drug suspects that were killed in the government’s

war against illegal drugs has reached 6,248, but according to human rights advocates, it's more

than that. There were beneficial developments in our country during Duterte's presidency, such

as the development of every region and municipality and the decrease of substance abusers.

However, the victims' loss and lack of a second opportunity for their loved ones who died as a

result of the brutal drug war will remain in their memories forever. Many innocent civilians were

harmed and killed, but only a few were punished. Duterte swore to eliminate the illegal drug

problem in three to six months, but it has now been six years. He admits he was wrong. The

number of high-level drug dealers, who are the root of all drug issues, has decreased, but not

enough to eradicate them. The drug problem in the Philippines has primarily been viewed as an

issue of law enforcement and criminality, and the government has focused on implementing

heavy and inhumane punishments without considering the effects for the victims solely. The

negative effects of Duterte's anti-drug operation on children extend beyond the raids' immediate

brutality. Many individuals face emotional trauma after witnessing the murder of their loved

ones. This proves that murdering and violating human rights will never be a solution to any

situation.

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4 Recommendations

Officials that are opposed to the war on drugs have also recommended the information gathered
for this report:

 The government should focus more on entrapping high-level drug dealers and traffickers
while also providing psychological health services to poor drug users.

 Further killings must be avoided. Those who are left behind should receive assistance,
particularly packages addressing money, psychological and overall health, and children's
education.

 Create drug prevention programs and make every individual understand how substance
abuse develops.

 Provide more detailed and accurate background information on drug users and pushers.

 Re-allocate law enforcement's budget to drug rehabilitation

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5 Reference List

Philippine drug war (2022, May 27). In Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_drug_war

Eloisa Lopez & Karen Lema (2022, April 12). Philippine expert says some drug war death
certificates falsified. Reuters
https://www.reuters.com

Sui-Lee Wee (2022, June 3). From the Bones of Victims, a Doctor Unearths a Drug War’s True
Toll. The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.coms

Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (2017, June 8). Flawed, fuzzy numbers in the war
on drugs. PhilStar
https://www.philstar.com

ABS-CBN News (2016, June 29). What Duterte promised to voters

https://youtu.be/8jSXMd6w_uQ

CNN Philippines Staff (2022, April 28). Duterte on his 3-6 months drug war deadline: ‘I was
really wrong’. CNN Philippines
https://www.cnnphilippines.com

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