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MANILA, Philippines – More people died in counter-drug operations across the country during the four months of the COVID-19 pandemic than in a similar period shortly before, according to Human Rights Watch, an international group based in New York.
From April to July 2020, during the pandemic, 155 people died in anti-drug operations, almost 50 percent more than the 103 deaths recorded between December 2019 and March 2020, said Carlos Conde, a researcher with HRW’s Asian Division, citing data from the Philippine Drug Control Agency (PDEA).
“The bloody ‘war on drugs’ of the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte worsened during the COVID-19 shutdown, according to the government’s own statistics,” Conde said in a statement released Tuesday.
“The police killed 50 percent more people between April and July 2020 than in the previous four-month period,” he added.
As of July 2020, a total of 5,810 people have died in narcotics operations carried out by the Philippine National Police (PNP) since President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs began in July 2016.
“The PDEA figure of 5,810 dead only covers deaths in anti-drug police operations. Thousands of other drug suspects have been killed by unidentified assailants, many of whom are believed to be plainclothes policemen or vigilantes operating in coordination with local authorities, ”Conde said.
“The Human Rights Council should once again address the issue of rights abuses in the Philippines when it meets this month. The government is expected to continue to deny the allegations rather than offer a constructive response, ”she added.
“But as the government’s own statistics show, atrocities in the ‘war on drugs’ have worsened, even as the country suffers the worst in the region from the pandemic,” he said.
More deaths from the war on drugs at GCQ?
According to PDEA records, more people died in anti-drug operations while a less stringent coronavirus quarantine was in effect.
From June to July 2020, there were 88 deaths during anti-drug operations, 21 more than the 67 deaths recorded between April and May 2020.
A less restrictive general community quarantine was first imposed on June 1 in Metro Manila and nearby areas to help revive the economy.
The rest of Luzon was placed under an enhanced community quarantine until April 30. The strict lockdown was further extended in high-risk areas from May 1 to May 15.
It was May 16-31 when most areas switched to the modified enhanced community quarantine.
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