Timeline of the Philippine drug war

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The following is the timeline of important major events that occurred during the Philippine drug war, which began in 2016 under the administration of Rodrigo R. Duterte.

2016-2022

2016

  • June 30 - Rodrigo R. Duterte is inaugurated as the 16th president of the Philippines. In his speeches, he urged civilians to fight and kill potential drug suspects.[1]
  • July 3 - Philippine National Police announced they had killed 30 alleged drug dealers since Duterte was sworn in as president on June 30.[2][3]
  • August 2 - Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa and his son Kerin Espinosa, both linked to drug trafficking, surrenders.[4]
  • August 3 - PNP had a shootout with twelve armed men with alleged links to Espinosa in Barangay Benolho in Albuera. Six of the men were killed, and 237 grams (8.4 oz) of shabu (methamphetamine) worth ₱1.9 million, along with some firearms, were seized.[5]
  • August 25 - Duterte releases a drug matrix showing the structure of drug trafficking operations at the New Bilibid Prison and identified the two former top officials of the Department of Justice, the former provincial governor and board member of Pangasinan, and the former Bureau of Corrections director as being involved in the Bilibid narcotics trade.[6]
  • September 15 - Edgar Matobato, an alleged member of the Davao Death Squad surrenders and confesses about the group's activities and Duterte's participation.[7]
  • September 19 - Leila de Lima, Duterte's most staunch rival, is ousted from her position heading the Senate committee.[8]
  • September 28 - A riot erupted inside Building 14 at New Bilibid Prison.[9] Initial reports from acting Bureau of Corrections director Rolando Asuncion said that one inmate witnessed three other convicts, namely Peter Co, Tony Co and Vicente Sy, using methamphetamine moments before the riot started.[10][11] Tony Co was stabbed and killed.
  • October 18 - Jesus Tulin, alleged hitman of the Espinosas, was killed in a rest house together with his wife in Barangay Talisayan, Albuera, Leyte.[12]
  • October 28 - Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom and nine others, including his five bodyguards, were killed during an anti-illegal drug operation in Makilala, North Cotabato. According to police, the group were heavily armed and opened fire on police, who found sachets of methamphetamine at the scene. No police were injured.[13][14] Dimaukom was among the drug list named by Duterte on August 7; he had immediately surrendered, and then returned to Datu Saudi Ampatuan.[15]
  • October 29 - Drug suspect Fernando Balagbis was killed while detained in Baybay City Jail.
  • November 5 - Rolando Espinosa, who had been detained at Baybay City Sub-Provincial Jail for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, was killed in what was described as a shootout inside his jail cell with personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).[16]

2017

  • January 4 - Sputnik gang member by the name of Randy Lizardo shot and killed policeman PO1 Enrico Domingo in Tondo. Domingo, together with other PNP officers, were conducting a buy-bust operation inside Lizardo's home.[17]
  • March 11 - Duterte issued an executive order creating the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs (ICAD), composed of 21 government entities, headed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), tasked to lead the fight against illegal drugs.[18]
  • July 30 - Reynaldo Parojinog, the mayor of Ozamiz City, was killed along with 14 others, including his wife Susan, in a dawn raid at around 2:30 am on his home in San Roque Lawis.[19][20]
  • August 16–18 - Three teenagers, Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman, were killed in anti-drug operations in Caloocan, Metro Manila.[21]
  • August 17 - 25 alleged criminals were killed in separate police shootouts and drug busts in Manila, including members of the notorious Bahala Na Gang.[22]
  • August 23 - 5-year-old student named Danica May Garcia was killed by a stray bullet coming from unidentified gunmen in Dagupan during an anti-drug operation.[23]
  • August 24 - Narco-lawyer Rogelio Bato Jr., the attorney of Rolando Espinosa, was killed by unknown assailants in Tacloban together with high school student Angelica Pabonita.[24]
  • October 12 - Duterte announced the transfer of anti-drug operations to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, ending the involvement of the PNP.[25]

2018

  • January 18 – Human Rights Watch released World Report 2018, criticizing the Philippine drug war and alleging that thousands of people had been killed since the campaign began in 2016.[26]
  • February 8 – The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the opening of a preliminary examination into alleged crimes committed in connection with the Philippine drug war.[27]
  • March 14 – The Philippine government formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.[28]
  • June 18 - A minor, 4-year-old Bladen Skyler Abatayo was killed by a stray bullet in Cebu through an 'anti-drug operation'.[29]
  • July 2 – Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili, known for his anti-drug campaign, was assassinated by a sniper during a flag-raising ceremony.
  • July 3 – General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote was ambushed and killed by unidentified gunmen.[30]
  • October 10 - Six members of a Waray-Waray gang were killed in a buy-bust operation in Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal.[31]
  • October 30 – President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 66, institutionalizing the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (PADS) and establishing a whole-of-government approach to the anti-drug campaign.[32]
  • November 29 – The Caloocan Regional Trial Court convicted three police officers for the murder of Kian delos Santos, marking the first conviction of police personnel in a drug-war-related killing.[33]

2019

  • March 17 – The Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute officially took effect, ending its membership in the International Criminal Court.[34]
  • April 1 – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported continued implementation of the anti-drug campaign and expansion of rehabilitation programs.[35]
  • June 3 – Jason Cada, small-time drug pusher, was ambushed and shot dead in Tacloban, Leyte.[36]
  • July 27 – Three police officers convicted in the murder of Kian delos Santos appealed their convictions before the Court of Appeals.[37]
  • September 16 – The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution requesting a comprehensive report on the human rights situation in the Philippines.[38]
  • October 7 – Vice President Leni Robredo accepted President Duterte's offer to serve as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).[39]
  • November 24 – President Duterte removed Vice President Robredo from her position as ICAD co-chairperson after less than three weeks.[40]

2020

  • June 4 – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report stating that thousands of killings linked to the drug war had occurred amid what it described as widespread impunity. The report cited at least 8,663 deaths based on official government data and called for greater accountability.[41]
  • June 25 – Retired SPO3 Francisco Homeres Jr., a policeman associated with illegal narcotics, was killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in Tacloban, Leyte.[36]
  • June 26 – A police anti-drug operation in Barangay Minuyan, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs and the deaths of several suspects during an armed encounter with law enforcement officers.[42]
  • July 7 – Rolando Loyola, a leader of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik, was arrested during Operation Pagtugis led by Regional Intelligence Division, NCRPO in Sampaloc, Manila.[43]
  • July 30 - Wesley Barayuga, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary, was gunned down by unknown assailants while cruising in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. He was included without evidence in Duterte's narcolist. NAPOLCOM commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, and police colonel Royina Garma we're suspected of the hit.[44]
  • August 7 – Former drug user Jason Golong was shot and killed by unidentified assailants in Tacloban. According to later accounts, the attackers used high-caliber 5.56 mm firearms.[36]
  • August 25 – Retired police officer Pio Peñaflor and his son, Alphy Peñaflor, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen near the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral in Palo, Leyte.[36] The former was a drug user who had just finished rehabilitation at Department of Health - Treatment and Rehabilitation Center.[45]
  • September 13 – Retired police officers Dennis Monteza and Constantino Torre, together with former jail guard Ian Pat Cabredo and his live-in partner Maritess Pami, were ambushed and killed in Palo, Leyte.[46]
  • September 29 – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced that more than 18,000 anti-drug operations conducted from January to July 2020 had resulted in the arrest of 26,000 drug suspects, including 1,121 high-value targets.[47]
  • November 24 – Police Captain Ariel Ilagan of the Southern Police District was ambushed and killed while driving at Imus, Cavite. Ilagan previously headed the Taguig City Police's Drug Enforcement Unit and had recently been transferred to the Discipline Law and Order Section (DLOS), which handles “administrative and less grave cases” of policemen.[48]
  • December 3 – Mayor of Los Baños, Laguna, Caesar Perez, was assassinated at the Los Baños Municipal Hall. Perez was one of several politicians who was included in Duterte's list of "narco-politicians".[49]

2021

  • January 26 – The PNP reported that anti-drug operations conducted during 2020 resulted in thousands of arrests and the seizure of billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs, while hundreds of suspects were killed in police operations.[50]
  • February 10 – Infamous drug trafficker Jayson Sampiano Deniega, who was also #5 Most Wanted Person in Lanao del Sur, was killed in a shootout together with 2 cohorts against a joint task force consisting of the Balabagan Municipal Police Station and the Marine Battalion Landing Team 5.[51]
  • March 29 – Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency personnel had a shootout near a shopping mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City after a miscoordination during an anti-drug operation. Two police officers, two PDEA agents, and one informant were killed.[52]
  • June 23 – The Department of Justice released the results of its review of selected anti-drug operations, acknowledging irregularities in several cases involving deaths during police operations.[53]
  • September 15 – The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court authorized a formal investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in connection with the Philippine drug war from 2011 to 2019.[54]
  • November 10 – The Department of Justice disclosed that dozens of anti-drug operations resulting in deaths were under further review as part of the government's examination of drug-war cases.[55]
  • December 31 – Government data indicated that official anti-drug operations since July 2016 had resulted in more than 6,200 deaths and over 300,000 arrests by the end of 2021.[56]

2022

  • January 4 – The PNP reported that anti-drug operations conducted during 2021 resulted in the arrest of thousands of drug suspects and the seizure of billions of pesos worth of illegal drugs nationwide.[57]
  • May 9 – The Philippines conducted national and local elections that resulted in the victory of presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos, who pledged to continue anti-drug efforts while placing greater emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation programs.[58]
  • June 30 – President Rodrigo Duterte ended his six-year term in office. Government figures reported more than 6,200 deaths during official anti-drug operations since 2016.[59]
  • July 1 – Presidency of Bongbong Marcos assumed office and announced that the anti-drug campaign would continue but with greater emphasis on prevention, rehabilitation, and targeting major traffickers.[60]
  • July 18 – In his first State of the Nation Address, President Marcos reaffirmed the government's commitment to combating illegal drugs while emphasizing human rights-based enforcement.[61]
  • September 23 – The Department of Justice reported that additional cases involving deaths during anti-drug operations remained under review as part of ongoing investigations.[62]
  • October 8–9 – In what became known as the October 2022 Manila drug raids, Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group seized over 990 kilograms (2,180 lb) of illegal drugs in Pasig and Manila. It is described by Benjamin Abalos Jr. described the series of as the "biggest drug haul in the history of the Philippines".[63]
  • December 31 – Government statistics indicated that anti-drug operations conducted throughout 2022 resulted in thousands of arrests and continued nationwide enforcement against illegal drugs.[64]

2023-2026

2023

  • January 27 – The International Criminal Court authorized the reopening of its investigation into killings associated with former President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign, citing concerns that domestic investigations had not sufficiently addressed alleged crimes against humanity.[65]
  • March 14 – Former police officer Jeffrey Perez was convicted for the murders of teenagers Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman, one of the few convictions linked to drug war killings.[66]
  • March 28 – President Bongbong Marcos announced that the Philippines would cease engagement with the ICC after the court rejected the government's appeal to suspend its investigation into drug war killings.[67]
  • April 22 – Alleged drug pusher and hired gun Ricky Lopez Manuel was killed in a buy-bust operation in Mandaue City.[68]
  • August 2 – Cousins Vincent Repangue Arriesgado and Jerome Arriesgado were shot dead by motorcycle-riding assailants in a case classified by DAHAS as drug-related violence.[69]
  • September 18 – Body of Dhinz Adzyl Abadilla Zabala, a 32-year-old tattoo artist, was dumped in Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City. He had multiple gunshot wounds to the back of the head.[70] Suspects of his murder, Tereso Dayupay Jr. and Estepan Estrera Canoy, were apprehended by the PNP. Both were known hired guns and members of a drug syndicate.[71]
  • September 22 – Alleged drug suspect Muksidal Jumadil was killed during a firefight with police in Panamao, Sulu, while authorities were serving arrest warrants. Nine members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force were wounded: Nolie Agmaliw, Jhorlino Rico Apal, Earl Abdurajan III, Reymir Subion, Lindo Macua, Oliver Alviar, Andres Dalang, Edison Ray Paris, and Lionel Suaverdes.[72]
  • October 29 – SWAT officer Police Staff Sgt. Michael Malan was killed in a raid on alleged drug suspects Glen “Bongbong” Iturriaga and Ivan Palmejar in Iloilo City.[73]
  • November 15 – Staff Sergeant Ryan Languido Baculi, a member of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 7, was killed during a drug bust in Sitio Pagtambayayong, Barangay Kinasang-an, Cebu City.[74]

2024

  • March 14 – A drug suspect, identified only as “Bentong,” was killed in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Maa, Davao City after allegedly trading fire with undercover police officers.[75]
  • March 28 – At least seven drug suspects were killed in separate buy-bust operations in Davao City and nearby areas amid intensified anti-drug operations.[76]
  • April 23 – Paul John Seguerra, an inmate facing drug charges, escaped from the Southern Leyte Provincial Jail with two others by scaling a fence. They were shot and killed hours later in Barangay Asuncion, Maasin by unknown suspects.[77]
  • June 15 – A suspected drug dealer, Jeffrey Sobusa Pudadera, was killed in a shootout with PDEA agents in Koronadal City after allegedly firing at undercover operatives during a buy-bust operation.[78]
  • September 13 – Joeraldine Gevana, a known drug personality, was killed in a shootout with the PNP in Barangay Jampang, Argao. Gevana was armed with a sniper rifle and managed to wound the police chief, Major Janus Giangan, before being taken down.[79]
  • November 13 – The House of Representatives Quad Committee (Quadcom) held a major public hearing on the Duterte administration's war on drugs, extrajudicial killings, and alleged reward systems for police involved in anti-drug operations. Former President Rodrigo Duterte attended the hearing and defended his anti-drug policies amid intense questioning from lawmakers.[80][81]
  • November 15 – Two police officers were killed and two others injured during a buy-bust operation in Maguindanao del Norte after the operation escalated into a firefight with armed drug suspects.[82]
  • December 10 – The House Quad Committee announced plans to recommend criminal and administrative charges against individuals linked to illegal drugs, extrajudicial killings, and related crimes investigated during its hearings.[83]

2025

  • February 20 – Suspected drug den operator identified as alias “Tata” was killed in a firefight with police, military, and PDEA operatives during a buy-bust operation in Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur after allegedly opening fire on arresting officers.[84]
  • March 8 – Police Staff Sergeants Dennis Cudiamat and Gian George Dela Cruz were killed in a buy-bust operation in Bocaue, Bulacan after suspects opened fire during an anti-firearms and anti-drug sting operation. Authorities said the suspects fled with the officers’ firearms after the shootout.[85]
  • March 11 – Former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and flown to The Hague to face charges for crimes against humanity related to the Philippine drug war.[86]
  • March 14 – Former President Rodrigo Duterte appeared in videolink before the ICC, officially starting his trial.[87]
  • April 9 – A suspected drug dealer identified only as “Sady” was killed in a buy-bust operation in Parañaque City after allegedly drawing a firearm during a transaction with PDEA operatives, while four PDEA agents were wounded in the ensuing gunfight.[88]
  • August 7 – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group officer Patrolman Ferry Sida Jaso and suspect Abner Casador were both killed in a shootout in San Jose, Dinagat Islands after Casador allegedly opened fire during surveillance and arrest operations related to illegal firearms and suspected drug activity.[89]
  • September 5 – Suspected drug trafficker Stephen Dagismol was killed in Surallah, South Cotabato after allegedly selling shabu to undercover police officers and drawing a firearm when he discovered he was dealing with law enforcement.[90]
  • November 18 – Three suspected drug offenders were killed in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City conducted by the PNP after allegedly opening fire on operatives during a ₱68-million shabu sting operation.[91][92]

2026

  • May 5 – A man recently released from prison due to drug charges was shot dead by a gunman in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite.[93]
  • May 25 – A shootout occurred between Police Corporal Bixby Johnson A. Cular and a drug lord nicknamed "Reo" in Barangay Busay, Barugo, Leyte. An initial investigation stated that the policeman, who was a member of an intelligence unit, was waylaid by the armed drug lord. The latter fired first and missed, prompting the policeman to return fire, hitting the suspect in the left arm. Reo was then rushed to a hospital for treatment.[94]
  • June 11 – Over 3.9 million pesos worth of meth was seized during a buy-bust operation in Barugo, Leyte. Four suspects were also arrested.[95]
  • June 30 – 2 mechanics was shot dead by unknown suspects in Taguig. The PNP managed to chase with the killers along the C5 Road. But during the running gun-battle, the suspects escaped. Investigators believe that competition in the sale of illegal narcotics was the cause.[96]
  • July 7 – Two policemen, Joerel Bullos and Apollo Pagurayan, were ambushed and killed while riding a motorcycle in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, by unknown assailants armed with M16 rifle. Both were killed on the spot. Investigators believe their deaths may have been related to recent anti-illegal drug operations and campaigns against smuggled contraband in Lambayong.[97]
  • August 9 – A PDEA intelligence officer named Enfernie Jim Dayag was killed in a buy-bust operation that targeted Jimhar Jawadil, a former Abu Sayyaf operative. Jawadil and 5 of his cohorts were also killed in the 20-minute gunfight.[98]

References

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