Photojournalist Retells Stories of \’Tokhang\’ Victims During Bato’s Watch as PNP Chief

A Filipino photojournalist known for documenting some of the most gruesome moments of the bloody drug war during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has retold some of the killings under the watch of then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now-Senador Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. 

Ezra Acayan recently shared on his Facebook page harrowing images and a video of three of the thousands of extrajudicial killings (EJKS) that he covered, including the funeral of Leah Espiritu, a mother of six, accused of being a small-time drug peddler. She was gunned down while doing laundry outside her home. 

“It was just one of too many funerals I covered during the drug war. I may have lost my sanity at some point—not because of what I was seeing, but because so many others saw this and thought it was the right thing,” Acayan said.

He also shared a photo of the funeral of Aldrin Pineda, a 13-year-old boy who was shot dead by a police officer while playing outside his house. The policeman claimed he accidentally tripped and fired his gun.

Acayan also posted a picture of the lifeless body of construction worker Gilbert Beguelme slumping on the hood of a jeepney after he was shot by unknown assailants. The victim was previously warned by his siblings to stop using illegal drugs.

These three killings occurred between 2016 and 2018, during Dela Rosa’s tenure as Duterte’s PNP chief and the chief enforcer of the administration’s brutal war on drugs.

The Senator earlier declared that he would seek refuge from the Senate should the ICC issue the warrant for his arrest, but he recently changed his tune, insisting that he’s contemplating evading arrest.

Earlier, a political analyst has cautioned against Dela Rosa’s attempts to frame himself as a victim of persecution, suggesting that he is seeking to garner the same support and sympathy that Duterte continues to receive from his loyal base.

“Sen. Dela Rosa’s disposition these days is to make it appear that he too is being persecuted by Duterte’s rivals with the hope of getting the same support or sympathy that Rody is enjoying nowadays, as we are seeing with the intensified online operations to boost their image and popularity,” said Arjan Aguirre, assistant professor at the Ateneo de Manila University.

“As a candidate, I’m sure he is being advised to say or do things that can be related to the Dutertes and the controversies that they are facing,” he added.