Philippines drug war victims testify before truth commission

Families of people killed during the Philippines' anti-drug campaign have begun giving testimony before a truth commission in Manila, seeking answers and accountability over deaths linked to the Duterte-era crackdown. The hearings are part of a civil society-led effort to examine alleged extrajudicial killings and to document what happened to victims and their relatives. One of the cases discussed involved Raymart Siapo, who was found dead in 2017 in a Manila neighbourhood during the height of the campaign.

Sponsored

According to testimony described at the hearing, Raymart's mother, Luzviminda Siapo, was working in Kuwait when she learned of his death and struggled to return home to see him. She said she asked to see proof after being told he had been found with blood on his body, a gun and a packet of methamphetamine nearby. Witnesses told her that 14 masked men took him away, ordered him to run, and then told him to sit before shooting him dead.

A forensic pathologist involved in the commission's work said the teenager was shot at close range. The truth commission was launched in May to investigate extrajudicial killings linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign. Public hearings began on Friday and are expected to continue regularly as the commission gathers testimony from families and other witnesses.

The government has said about 6,000 people were killed, while rights groups put the toll much higher, at between 20,000 and 30,000. Duterte governed from 2016 to 2022 and was arrested in March 2025 before being sent to the International Criminal Court, where he is facing trial for crimes against humanity linked to the drug war. The hearings matter because they are part of a wider effort to establish a record of killings that have remained politically and legally contested for years.

Sponsored

For families, the process is not only about numbers but about identifying what happened to individual victims and whether those responsible can be held to account. The commission's work also comes as the Philippines continues to confront the legacy of a campaign that reshaped policing, politics and human-rights debate in the country. The case of Raymart Siapo illustrates the kind of evidence the commission is trying to assemble, including witness accounts, forensic findings and family testimony.

It also shows how the drug war affected households far beyond the immediate scene of each killing, including relatives working overseas. The commission's public hearings are intended to build a broader picture of the campaign and its consequences, while also giving families a formal setting to speak after years of silence. What remains unclear is how far the commission's findings will go and whether they will lead to further legal action or reparations.

It is also not yet clear how many more families will testify in the coming sessions or what new evidence may emerge. The hearings are expected to continue regularly, keeping attention on the unresolved questions surrounding the anti-drug campaign and its death toll.

#Philippines #truthcommission #drugwar #RodrigoDuterte #extrajudicialkillings

Sponsored