PWD drug war victim voted for Duterte, mother says

MANILA, Philippines — A mother of one of the victims of the war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte yesterday narrated that her son voted for him during the 2022 presidential elections.

At the first hearing of the independent civilian Truth Commission, Luzviminda Siapo, mother of person with disability (PWD) Raymart Siapo who died on March 30, 2017, read her message to the former president.

“I want you to hear this… During the war on drugs, no one helped us. They are afraid to talk to us because they are afraid to be accused of being protectors of the addicts or they might think that they are also addicts,” Siapo said.

Duterte is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands awaiting trial on charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“He is my son’s first president. My son admired him (Duterte)… but he was also the reason for his death, because of his war on drugs… You killed my son’s dreams. I was hoping that when he became president, the Philippines might improve… You fooled me and my son with your sweet talk,” Siapo added.

She said many of the victims of the war on drugs were children.

Siapo recalled that she endured her abusive employers when she worked as an overseas Filipino worker in Kuwait to provide for her children just to hear her son died in the hands of members of the Philippine National Police.

Raymart was allegedly taken by 14 armed men and accused of selling marijuana on March 29, 2017. He was shot twice in the head.

For her part, forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun said that Raymart had bilateral clubfoot.

“The cause of death, I would put it as gunshot wounds. I don’t know how many times he was shot. Probably more than once,” Fortun said.

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