Killings without Justification: Against Human Rights

Drugs have made so many lives miserable, so much lives wasted, so many dreams shattered. We’ve
been dealing with so much killings since this war on drugs started. The anti-narcotics crackdown in the
Philippines, launched by the president after he won the 2016 election on a promise to rid the country of
drugs, appears to have resulted in “widespread and systematic” extrajudicial killings. Ten thousands of
people may have been killed and these drug related killings are unjustifiable. The “war on drugs” has
effectively been a war on people, in particular the poorest and most marginalized sectors of society, and
has undermined the rights of millions of them.

Anyone named on Duterte’s ‘kill lists’ or connected in using or selling drugs was asked to give
themselves in to police custody. In the first month of his presidency, Duterte said that 120,000 people had
handed themselves into the police, more than half of them with links to the drugs trade. But they are not
safe in police custody, or indeed in prison. From July 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 or when Duterte
temporarily stopped all police anti-illegal drug operations, police have tallied at least 7,080 deaths linked
to the bloody war on drugs. A third – 2,555 persons – are suspected drug personalities killed in police
operations. But a bulk of the figure are 3,603 “deaths under investigation (DUI)” or vigilante-style killings
with suspected ties to illegal drugs.

There are reports that cases of mistaken identification have led to people with no connection to the
drug trade being murdered. There are reports that the police shooting dead unarmed people, including those
prepared to surrender. The “drug on war” has also damaged countless Filipino children who continue to
grapple with the psychological, emotional, social, and economic impact of the killings of their loved ones,
who were often their family’s breadwinner. Drug related killings are not justified and will never be
acceptable especially to the innocent individuals who died with fake evidence and fake accusations.
Remember Kian Loyd Delos Santos? A 17 year old grade 11 student who died 3 years ago and was fatally
shot by some of police officers conducting an anti-drug operation in Caloocan, Metro Manila. He's just one
among at least 54 people aged 18 years old and below that died because of Duterte’s war on drugs operation
as reported by media and human rights organizations.

Another case is the 3 year old child, Kateleen Myca Ulpina who was shot dead by the police in a
province near the capital Manila. The police said she was used as a human shield. Her family says she
wasn't. But her death was called, 'collateral damage' by Ronald dela Rosa, who is a senator and a former
head of the Philippine National Police. Resulting in egregious and large-scale violations of human rights,
it amounts to state-sanctioned murder. That time when 'war on drugs' have exceed to the human rights,
disagreeing with that operation is a big fear of many people because they might condemn for illegal doings.
Therefore, they must stay silent and keep their fear and opposing thoughts about it by themselves in order
to be safe. Focusing on progression of unfortunate people whose suffering from poverty and lack of
education experience can cause a better future generation than focusing on killing people with unjustifiable
accusations of using drugs. This is the main thoughts of most of the people that time but remained silent.
However, there are also few people who fought for their rights and for the rights of people who died
innocently. Activists used their courage and bravery to amplify the voices of people who’s asking and
fighting for justice of their rights and fair judgement of law whether for the rich or for the poor.
In addition, the "Boy has name Skyler Abatayo caught in the drug war’s crossfire killed" a four year old
boy studying inside his room died he was hit by a stray bullet during a police operation against four drug
personalities in Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Althea a 4 years old girl also died because of the gunshot wounds because his father tried to escape
in the buy bust operation. In Negros Oriental, Philippines – Police killed a drug suspect in Guihulngan City
on Tuesday, August 30, while his 4-year-old daughter died two days later from gunshot wounds sustained
during the operation. Althea Barbon died on Thursday, September 1, two days after her father, Aldrick
Barbon, was killed when he resisted arrest during a drug buy-bust operation in Guhuilngan City. Police say
Barbon is ranked 5th among the top drug personalities of the city, and is in the drug watchlist of the
provincial and regional police offices. Police Superintendent D’Artagnan Katalbas Jr, Guihulngan City
police chief, said the suspect sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover cop for P500 along the highway on
Tuesday night. After their transaction was completed, the suspect allegedly drew his gun when he sensed
the presence of the police. This prompted the police to shoot the suspect on his side to “paralyze” him so
he could not fire back. "There was no intention to kill [the suspect]," Katalbas added. The suspect sped
away on his motorcyle. The police fired at him and hit him on the back. “He was able to drive 75 meters
away, then the motorcycle fell on its side,” Katalbas said. Collateral damage, 'props' Katalbas said it was
only then that the police realized that Althea was with her father the whole time. She sustained gunshot
wounds. Both were rushed to the hospital, where the father was pronounced dead on Tuesday. Althea died
on Thursday. Katalbas said that the pursuing policemen, who were also on board a motorcycle, didn’t see
the child because "they came from behind.” He added that the operatives were “not able to ascertain that
someone was with the suspect because it was dark and that the father overshadowed the girl.” Katalbas
concluded that the father used his daughter as “props” so the police would hesitate to intervene when he
got caught in his illegal activities. Recovered from the crime scene were a caliber .38 revolver with 5 live
ammunition, 5 sachets of shabu, motorcycle with no registration, and the P500 marked money. Katalbas
said Barbon is allegedly involved in murder cases in the city, and that 3 of his brothers are in prison for
drug charges. He said they are investigating if the suspect belonged to the group of drug lord Jeffrey
"Jaguar" Diaz, who was killed in a police operation in Las Piñas on June 18. Katalbas said that Barbon got
his drug supply from Cebu City and that he supplied the city and neighboring localities including Canlaon
City, Vallehermoso, and La Libertad. In conclusion, thats story for me causes that i state why drug related
killing is unjustified because the police not realized that there has a child to the suspect that they need to
caught. The victim of drug related operation need justice and justice to the family because that is fault by
the authority and the life of a child cannot be back and not replaceable of any things even the money.

On the afternoon of October 14, 2016, four masked gunmen stormed the Manila home of Paquito
Mejos, a 53-year-old father of five who worked as an electrician on construction sites. An occasional user
of shabu, a methamphetamine, Mejos had turned himself in to local authorities two days earlier after
learning he was on a “watch list” of drug suspects. The gunmen asked for Mejos, who was napping upstairs.
“When I saw them with their handguns going upstairs,” a relative said, “I told them, ‘But he has already
surrendered to the authorities!’ They told me to shut up, or I would be next.” Two gunshots rang out. Police
investigators arrived moments later and were assisted by the gunmen. In their report, the police referred to
Mejos as “a suspected drug pusher” who “pointed his gun [at the police] but the police officers were able
to shoot him first hitting him on the body causing his instantaneous death.” They said a shabu packet was
found along with a handgun. “But Paquito never had a gun,” said his relative. “And he did not have any
shabu that day.

Lastly, remember the two brothers who died at the hands of the unknown suspects? When six
masked armed men burst into a Manila home where a small group, including several teenagers, were
watching television. The men arrested and beat drug suspects Aljon Mesa and Jimboy Bolasa, and then
took them away on motorcycles. A half hour later, after hearing from a uniformed policeman, relatives
rushed to a nearby bridge to find Aljon and Bolasa’s bodies, both with gunshot wounds to the head, their
hands tied with cloth. The gunmen were still at the scene, while uniformed police cordoned off the area.
The police report, headed “Found Bodies,” claims that a “concerned citizen” alerted the police to the
presence of two dead bodies. A week after Aljon Mesa’s killing, 10 police officers, some in civilian clothes,
arrested his brother Danilo Mesa and took him to the local barangay office. That evening masked armed
men abducted him from the barangay office; shortly afterwards, his body was found under a bridge a block
away. His relatives said that his entire head had been wrapped in packing tape, and his hands had been tied
behind his back. He had been shot execution-style through the mouth.

These people were just among the thousands of brutal deaths that "relates" in the war on drugs who
never even had a chance to change their lives. Over the years, countless people have lost their lives at the
hands of the police or at the hands of those who want to silence them. Did they even have another chance
to live or did they just die without being given justice? No. A person's life should not be taken just for the
sole purpose of keeping a country safe if in return it is the death and life of the civilians affected. Killing
people because of drugs will never be morally accepted and this against the 1987 Constitution of the
Republic of the Philippines, Article III, Bill of Rights Section 1 that states “No person shall be deprived of
life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of
the laws.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/02/philippines-police-deceit-drug-war-killings

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/minors-college-students-victims-war-on-drugs-duterte

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sunstar.com.ph/ampArticle/175217

https://www.rappler.com/nation/hrw-report-extrajudicial-killings-witness-accounts