Human rights lawyer: Duterte admin ‘polluted’ official documents

MANILA, Philippines – Human rights lawyer Ray Paolo Santiago, co-chairperson of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ICC), highlighted on Friday, February 27, the challenges in relying on official government sources in the context of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. 

“Gusto sana natin ng official government sources, but the reality ng context natin sa Pilipinas ay napo-pollute ang official sources na ito,” Santiago said during a Rappler panel on Friday, the last day of Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing at the ICC. 

(We would’ve wanted official government sources, but the reality of our context in the Philippines is that these official sources get polluted.)

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He explained that the misinformation could be exploited by the defense to claim that deaths were due to causes like pneumonia, when in reality, autopsies conducted by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun showed clear gunshot wounds. (READ: Under Duterte, Philippines allowed forgery of drug war death records)

He also described this as a “double whammy” for victims’ families: first, losing a loved one to the drug war, and second, facing barriers in recovering the body, especially for poor families who cannot afford the costs of proper autopsies.

Santiago added that police investigators were aware of these practices but allowed them to continue, undermining accountability. 

“When we talk about accountability, how do we truly rely on official documents?” he said. He emphasized that this systematic distortion of records damages public trust in government documentation and that these issues also deserve thorough investigation.

Document sourcing during Duterte’s presidency, particularly in relation to the war on drugs, was notoriously difficult for investigators. Even the Commission on Human Rights, constitutionally mandated to examine state abuses, struggled to obtain basic spot reports and operational data from the Philippine National Police. Access to official records was often blocked or delayed, which further complicated efforts to document patterns of killings and establish accountability.

Families left behind, whom Rappler has talked to over the years since the drug war began, also recounted difficulties in even obtaining these reports. They were met with intimidation and threats from police.

Official figures peg the death toll at at least 6,200 people in police anti-illegal drug operations alone as of May 2022. However, human rights groups estimate that the total number of deaths, including those carried out by vigilante-style killings, could reach as high as 30,000.

– Rappler.com