The uncle of Kian delos Santos, the teenager killed by police during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, testified at the Senate on Monday that he lost his job and was ostracized after former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa falsely linked him to drug activities.
Randy delos Santos recounted in the Senate probe on the drug war that after Kian’s killing, the PNP—under Dela Rosa—issued a statement falsely accusing him and Kian’s father of being local “tough guys” involved in drug trafficking and of using Kian as a courier. Delos Santos stressed that his family was instead known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, dedicated to spreading religious teachings in their community.
“This false statement led to my dismissal from work and put my family in danger as we were branded as drug dealers,” he said. Randy, now a field coordinator for Project Paghilom, a support group for drug war victims’ families, also voiced frustration over the lack of investigations into police officials involved in drug war killings under the previous administration.
During the hearing, Christina Gonzales, whose husband Joselito was killed after allegedly sourcing drugs from police officers, disclosed that they sold drugs supplied directly by police, who assured them of protection. She recounted that in 2016, authorities warned her husband to leave their neighborhood as a “cleanup” was underway. He was later found dead in a morgue.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, overseeing the probe, has requested that the mentioned police officials be summoned for further questioning. Senator Robin Padilla argued that while lives are precious, law enforcement remains essential to protecting the country from drug syndicates.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte, under whose administration these operations took place, is under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity. While police data lists approximately 6,000 deaths linked to the drug war, human rights advocates claim the toll may exceed 30,000, including alleged vigilante killings.