95% of wrongful deaths lacked police records in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla reported on Thursday that about 95 percent of wrongful deaths linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war had no police records. He shared this information during a Senate hearing related to Duterte's alleged crimes against humanity. Duterte was arrested on March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and has since been taken to The Hague for proceedings. Remulla’s comments surprised some senators, including Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who noted this was new information for him. Despite the shocking figures, Cayetano expressed confidence in the justice system. Remulla admitted there was a failure of the justice system during the Duterte administration. Many families, he said, resorted to filing cases with the International Criminal Court (ICC) because they felt unable to obtain justice in the Philippines. Official government data indicates that at least 6,000 people died during the drug war, but human rights groups believe the actual number is much higher, estimating between 12,000 and 30,000 deaths from 2016 to 2019. These deaths often involved extrajudicial killings. Remulla emphasized that the lack of accountability is a serious issue that has long needed attention.