The Department of Justice on Thursday ordered the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to arrest Senator Ronald de la Rosa if they decide to find him. It is looking like the former Tadtad commander would soon join his boss at the International Criminal Court detention center at The Hague.
The arrest order came on the day former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s latest appeal to have the confirmation of charges against him reviewed was rejected by the ICC. The Court also denied his lawyer’s bid for his temporary liberty on medical grounds, pointing out that the alleged mastermind of tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings is well taken care of.
The most hapless victims of Duterte and dela Rosa’s Operation Plan Double Barrel (“Tokhang”) were children. Here are 11 minors that Duterte and dela Rosa’s supporters claim were not targets but were mere collateral damage in the campaign against illegal drugs.
- Myca Ulpina (3 years old): Myca was the youngest to be killed by Philippine National Police in the conduct of Duterte’s war on drugs. She was shot in the head in a June 29, 2019 raid in Rodriguez town, Rizal province. The operatives claimed she was used as a human shield by her father, a claim disputed by her mother and human rights monitors.
- Skyler Abatayo (4 years old): Killed by a stray bullet that pierced his heart in July 2018 in Cebu City. Police operatives opened fire at a house they said a pot session was being held. Skyler was the sole casualty in the incident. The police also failed to arrest any of their original targets.
- Althea Barbon (4 years old): Althea was with her father on their way to Guihulngan City’s Freedom Park to buy popcorn on August 17, 2017 when fired upon by the police. Father and daughter were killed. Residents said the police fired their firearms indiscriminately in a public place, in violation of its rules of engagement.
- Danica May Garcia (5 years old): Danica was in their home in Dagupan City when the police shot her grandfather – already a surrenderee under the drug user enlistment scheme. But the bullets tore through the wall and struck her in the head. Danica was one of the earliest documented child casualties of the drug war, killed in August 23, 2016, a few months after the Duterte government started its nationwide campaign.
- Francis Mañosca (5 years old): Francis was asleep before dawn in December 11, 2016 while his father was fixing a broken gadget inside their shanty in Pasay City. Without identifying themselves and following any of their purported protocols, the police fired shots through the window, killing both father and son. When buried, Francis’ casket had two plastic toys that were gifts for Christmas that year.
- San Niño Batucan (7 years old): San Niño was named after Cebu’s patron saint. He was at home in Consolacion, Cebu, watching television on Dec. 3, 2016, when he was hit by a bullet fired by bonnet-wearing men outside who had been chasing a teenager accused of selling drugs.
- Kristine Joy Sailog (12 years old): Kristine Joy was attending “Misa de Gallo/Simbang Gabi” inside their church when killed by a stray bullet meant for a suspected drug dependent. Her family’s Christmas had never been the same since.
- Jayross Brondial (13 years old): “Utoy,” (Jayross’ nickname) was shot dead by a man on a motorcycle in Pasay City on September 24, 2017 a day before he was to take part in a school program celebrating Teachers’ Day. He was shot three times in the head and three times in the body, believed to be a victim of mistaken identity.
- Kian Lloyd de los Santos (17 years old): The most known Tokhang case as his murder by police officers was caught on security camera. He was dragged away by police officers and was killed despite his plaintive pleas. The police claimed Kian “fought back,” an alibi Duterte and dela Rosa publicly ordered the police to say to justify the killings. Unlike others, Kian’s murder led to the conviction of some of the police officers involved due to local and global outrage.
- – 11. Carl Angelo Arnaiz (19 years old) and Reynaldo de Guzman (14 years old): Friends Carlo Angelo and Reynaldo were last seen alive leaving their neighborhood in Cainta, Rizal, to buy snacks. Later that day, police claimed Arnaiz was killed in a shootout after allegedly robbing a taxi driver in Caloocan City. His parents found his beaten cadaver at a funeral home in Caloocan. Forensics later revealed he had been handcuffed, tortured, and shot multiple times. Reynaldo’s body was discovered floating in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. An autopsy showed he sustained at least 25 to 30 stab wounds. Only two lowliest-ranking policemen were convicted by the courts for the double murder.
Legal and moral criteria for the arrests
Only some of these 11 deaths of children are included in the core charges that Duterte, dela Rosa and their co-conspirators are facing before the ICC. As main respondent, Duterte is charged as an indirect co-perpetrator for the murder of 19 people in Davao City between 2011 and 2016 and at least 24 people under nationwide law enforcement operations from 2016 to 2019. These are samplings of the tens of thousands of documented deaths under the Duterte campaign.
That children are among the hapless victims while only very few were charged for the mass murders make it necessary that the case is tried by an international court.
Duterte’s arrest in March 2025 and ongoing imprisonment at The Hague and dela Rosa’s impending arrest are claimed by their supporters to be a miscarriage of justice. At the height of their powers, however, both publicly announced the campaign and were proud of the body count.
Duterte even publicly advised police officers to say the suspects “fought back” to justify their shoot-first tactic. He even bragged he will answer for all the killings, a claim that is now in tatters as his lawyers try to gain temporary liberty for the former strongman on medical grounds.
Dela Rosa for his part dared his critics to “come and get him,” only to go in hiding from November 11 to May 11 upon learning of an arrest order against him. The former commando is again putting his Scout Ranger training to good use evading the law that he swore to uphold as policeman and legislator.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber concluded that the killings met the statutory requirements for crimes against humanity as they were widespread and Systematic as well as directed against civilians. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
