DOJ urged to probe falsified death certificates of some drug war victims

Sen. Leila de Lima. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Leila de Lima on Tuesday urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct a “more comprehensive and public accountable” investigation of the alleged falsified death certificates of some drug war victims.

“We need a more comprehensive and public accountable investigation from the DOJ, and not the cherry-picking investigation currently being pursued. Otherwise, all these official investigations are not helping the victims and the public at all, but only the image of this outgoing Duterte administration,” De Lima said.

Her statements were in response to a Reuters special report, which showed the official death certificates of at least 15 people killed in the government’s war on drugs had been falsified to show that they died of “natural causes.”

Reuters documented the “humanitarian, compassionate and heroic” efforts of Fr. Flavie Villanueva and forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, which, according to De Lima, led to the discovery of “another terrain of manipulation and deceit in the administration of justice for the victims of Duterte’s drug war.”

The special report, published in the Inquirer on June 4, focused on Fortun, Villanueva, and the families of drug war victims determined to get justice for their slain loved ones.

The report quoted Fortun, who said that in April, she examined the remains of 46 people killed in the drug war and found that the cause of death of several had been falsified.

In several instances, the cause of death indicated hypertension, sepsis, pneumonia, or a heart attack even though the victims’ bodies bore multiple gunshot wounds.

De Lima lamented how their families had been forced to accept erroneous death certificates because of utter helplessness, as well as veiled threats and intimidation.

“Obviously, ‘nanlaban (resisting the police),’ ‘tanim baril’ and ‘tanim droga’ (planting evidence such as guns or drugs) are not the only modus operandi being employed to avoid prosecution in the [cold-blooded] killings. The falsified death certificate is another insidious scheme,” De Lima said.

“The justice system has to carry this discovery to avoid a total miscarriage of justice in the drug war killings and other crimes where proper death investigation and certification are crucial,” she added.

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