REPORT ON INVESTIGATED KILLINGS
IN RELATION TO THE ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG CAMPAIGN
The same statements by the police operatives become the basis of the criminal
complaints filed against the dead suspects. Ironically, despite clear legal and
jurisprudential bases that crimes are personal to the suspect, the PNP has been actively
filing criminal charges even if their targets had died during the police operations.
In 86 incidents wherein criminal complaints were filed after death, the victims were
charged with violations of Republic Act No. 10591, homicide, murder, direct assault, and
disobedience upon agent of person in authority, together with violations of several sections
of Republic Act No. 9165.
6.3. Law enforcement investigations on
alleged drug-related killings
The Commission reviewed police investigations into 182 out of the 246 incidents
involving extrajudicial killings by unidentified and other types of perpetrators. Records
reveal that witnesses in 82 incidents (out of 89 incidents with available witnesses) were
interviewed. This is a stark difference in the availability of independent witnesses during
alleged law enforcement operations, which is only noted in eight percent of the total 239
investigated incidents.
Information that was made available to the Commission revealed that of the 246
incidents of killings by unidentified and other types of perpetrators, the police were only
able to identify and file the appropriate cases in 22 (nine percent) incidents. Several
obstacles in the identification of perpetrators were cited by the police. In most cases, the
lack of witnesses that can positively identify the perpetrators halted police investigations.
In a number of cases where the police identify both the victim and the possible motive
as drug-related, their link analysis would point to the possible perpetrators as a certain
drug group. Their investigation report would indicate the possible motive as an unsettled
drug debt by the victim to the drug group, competition in selling areas, and/or cleansing by
the drug group to suppress their identities and that of their network.
However, CHR investigation notes that with the vast network of assets and intelligence
by the police, coupled with the various support and improvement in its capability,
equipment and manpower, no drug group was made to account for killings they allegedly
committed, and justice remains elusive for the alleged “drug war” victims.
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