In the late hours of October 2, 2023, 29-year-old Chrismel Serioso, who had been away for some time, messaged his mother Imelda, “Ma, nandito lang ako, wag ka mag-alala.” The following day, at a restobar in Novaliches, Quezon City, a CCTV footage showed Chrismel being dragged out of a jeepney and getting beaten to death by a group of men. Among the identified assailants was Patrolman Edwin Rivera Simbling of the National Capital Region (NCR) Police Office, who was later arrested for allegedly shooting Chrismel before beating him up. 

An initial police report claimed that the fight stemmed from Chrismel’s attempt to sell illegal drugs to Simbiling. However, no drug was retrieved from the site.

In the same month, Congress hailed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “bloodless” drug war campaign. This claim did not align with the numbers: drug-related killings under Marcos’s first year in office surpassed the death toll of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s last year as a president, according to monitoring project Dahas by the UP Third World Studies Center. Bloodshed, as in the case of Chrismel, is still enabled by conditions of continued impunity under Marcos’s drug campaign. 

Aggravated Anguish

On top of their grief, Chrismel’s family had to contend with the elusiveness of justice, like the families of thousands of police killing victims.

Chrismel was the family breadwinner. His youngest child had just turned 1 when he was killed. Four months later, Imelda and Chrismel’s wife, who requested not to be named, continue to grapple with the sorrow and injustice.

For the filing of the case, Chrismel’s wife watched the CCTV footage, pausing every second to gather all pieces of evidence. The entire process of seeking justice, she shared, had been physically and emotionally taxing, and progress is slow and uncertain. “Sa panahon ngayon, mahirap ang hustisya, lalo na kung mahirap ka,” she said. 

A verdict is yet to be made, with the latest hearing being reset. The judge did not show up, according to Imelda. Chrismel’s wife has been accomplishing the requirements since October, going back and forth between the city hall and other places. It sometimes takes her the whole day just to file one document. This has prevented her from looking for income, which the family sorely needs. 

“Di ko alam kung kaya ko bang pagsabayin [ang] pagiging mommy ko sa dalawa, pagtatrabaho, at pag-asikaso ng kaso. Di pa kami makapag-move on sa pagkamatay niya, di pa rin kami makapag-move on sa buhay namin,” she lamented.

Chrismel’s wife’s struggles mirrored the challenges that the families of police killing victims face, from economic difficulties to seeking legal remedy, said Cristina Guevarra of human rights alliance Karapatan. Court action alone will not be enough to respond to the injustice, she argued; the very policy that breeds them must be put into question. 

Persistent War

Contrary to his earlier claims of pivoting toward a more peaceful drug policy, Marcos appears to continue Duterte’s bloody campaign.

Duterte’s promise of protection to murderous cops through his war on drugs built the culture of impunity that translated and extended to other expressions of police abuse, said Kristina Conti, secretary-general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers-NCR. The same culture persists in Chrismel's killing and is unlikely to change soon.

The Marcos administration’s shifting stance on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe, for example, does not reflect a supposed commitment to bring justice to Duterte’s drug war victims. After stating that he is reconsidering returning to the ICC, he said that he would not cooperate. The Department of Justice also initially said it would allow a probe if legal processes were met, then reneged a few days later, claiming it has no legal duty to comply.

Aside from the inaction to exact accountability for past government killings, policies that caused those deaths are still in effect, said Karapatan in a statement. Marcos has yet to dismantle his predecessor’s operational guidelines governing anti-drug operations. Central to the “new face” of his drug war is its Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan Program geared toward “community-based treatment, rehabilitation, education, and reintegration to curb drug dependence.” The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also said it will focus on suppressing demand and supply through awareness campaigns and intelligence operations. 

Guevarra and Conti argue that such programs are eerily similar to the Duterte administration’s approach, with Conti pointing out its identical objectives, chief implementor, and punitive premise. If Marcos truly treats illegal drugs as a health concern, the Department of Health, not law enforcers, should take the lead. She added, “When you approach the drug problem na hinahabol mo ang gumagamit, iyong nag-su-supply, you’re going after people. And you’re either killing them or arresting them. That is criminalization of drug addiction.”

In 2023 alone, 331 drug-related killings were tallied by Dahas project. This meant that on average, one person was killed every 26 hours last year, with 4 out of 10 cases perpetrated by state forces. 

Continuing Calls For Justice

Chrismel’s family, like other victims’ kin, calls for decisive and comprehensive action around swiftly resolving the cases and holding the perpetrators accountable. Such calls hinge on strengthening the rule of law and overhauling the administration’s drug response paradigm.

“Sana mapabilis iyong process [ng pagpapanagot sa pulis], baka malay mo mayroon na naman siya [mapatay]. Once ginawa mo na noon, kayang-kaya mo ulit gawin,” Chrismel’s wife said. With the rising death toll in the drug campaign, her concern is grounded in the reality that impunity fuels cops’ killing spree.

“Kailangang malinaw na health issue [ang drug use], at socioeconomic. Kung sa [extrajudicial killings], ang una talaga ay awareness. Self-awareness on the part of the government that they did something wrong,” Conti said.  For Guevarra, this entails a commitment to hold past perpetrators accountable, and a critical part would be cooperating with the ICC probe. 

Despite the challenging situation, Imelda is determined in her family’s crusade for justice. This time, it is her who has a message she wishes she can tell her son, “Nandito lang kami, di namin pababayaan ang kasong ito para sa kanya. Mahal na mahal namin siya.” ●