The deaths of these 11 children are included in the core charges of crimes against humanity that ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, Bato dela Rosa, and their co-conspirators are facing before the ICC
A co-conspirator in the bloody war on drugs is likely to join soon former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center at The Hague.
The Philippine Supreme Court has rejected the appeals by Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa to save him from an ICC arrest order. He is back in hiding but Philippine authorities vowed on Thursday that they will arrest the fugitive senator wanted by ICC “without delay”.
Just what are Duterte and dela Rosa accused of? What are the bases of the crimes against humanity that the first Asian former head of state and his accomplice, his long-time chief of police, are to be tried by a global court?
Here are 11 victims of Duterte and dela Rosa’s Operation Plan Double Barrel, colloquially known in the Philippines as “Tokhang,” which reportedly killed as many as 30,000 suspected drug dependents. This list, however, includes only children whom supporters of the extrajudicial killings claim were not intended targets, but merely collateral damage in the anti-narcotics campaign.
1. 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 on June 29, 2019 during a raid in Rodriguez town, Rizal province, an area adjacent to Metro Manila. The operatives claimed she was used as a human shield by her father, a claim disputed by her mother and human rights monitors. Myca’s death sparked outrage among Filipinos.
2. Skyler Abatayo (4 years old): Killed by a stray bullet that pierced his heart in July 2018 in Cebu City in Central Philippines. Police operatives opened fire at a house they said a pot session was being conducted. Skyler was the sole casualty in the incident. The police also failed to arrest any of the suspected drug users allegedly using illegal drugs.
3. 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, killing one of the youngest victims of the Duterte campaign.
4. Danica May Garcia (5 years old): A child with pigtails and a bright laugh, Danica was in their home in Dagupan City, when the gunfire started. Eyewitnesses said the police indiscriminately fired gunshots against her grandfather – already a surrenderee under the drug user enlistment scheme – but the bullets tore through the wall and struck Danica in the head. She was one of the earliest documented child casualties of the drug war, killed on August 23, 2016, a few months after the Duterte government started its nationwide campaign.
5. Francis Mañosca (5 years old): Francis was asleep before dawn on December 11, 2016 while his father was fixing a broken gadget inside their shanty in Pasay City. Without identifying themselves and following any of the protocols, the police fired shots through their window, killing both father and son. At his burial, Francis’ casket had two plastic toys that were gifts for the upcoming Christmas that year.
6. San Niño Batucan (7 years old): San Niño was named after Cebu’s patron saint, a well-chosen name based on his smiles that melted hearts. He was at home in Consolacion, Cebu, watching television on December 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.
7. Kristine Joy Sailog (12 years old): Kristine Joy was attending “Misa de Gallo” (the pre-dawn Catholic Mass leading to Christmas) inside their church when she was killed by a stray bullet meant for a suspected drug dependent. Her family’s Christmas had never been the same since.
8. 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.
9. 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 shouting he was just an innocent student. The police later 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.
10-11. Carl Angelo Arnaiz (19 years old) and Reynaldo de Guzman (14 years old): Friends Carlo Angelo and Reynaldo were last seen alive together leaving their neighborhood in Cainta, Rizal, to buy snack. Later that day, police claimed Arnaiz was killed in a shootout after allegedly robbing a taxi driver in Caloocan City. His parents found his severely beaten body 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.
‘They cry for justice’
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 to 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 and that only very few are 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 into hiding from November 11 last year to May 11 upon learning of an arrest order against him.
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.
