Truth Commission seeks PRC probe into doctors over allegedly falsified EJK death certificates

MANILA — The Truth Commission on Friday sought an investigation by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) into doctors who allegedly misrepresented the causes of death of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Forensic pathologist and commission member Dr. Raquel Fortun said at least 13 cases in Caloocan City and Quezon City showed discrepancies between the causes of death stated in death certificates and the injuries found during the victims’ exhumations.

The death certificates listed natural causes such as pneumonia, heart attack and stroke, but examinations of the exhumed bodies revealed gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Fortun said she previously raised the matter with the Department of Justice under then Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, but was told that one of the doctors identified through the death certificates had died.

“Masama ang loob ko dito kasi this is my profession, habulin ninyo ito, tingnan natin what went wrong because malaki and indication na may death certificate ka, kasi pag me patay ang unang papel na magsasabing ikaw ay namatay ay iyong death certificate, tapos itong war on drugs obviously violent nature ang ikinamatay nila, bakit magkakaroon ng natural cause, that’s falsication actually, maling mali,” Fortun said.

Truth Commission Chairperson Raul Pangalangan said the commission would formally bring the matter before the PRC and submit the death certificates as supporting documents.

“In fact the Truth Commission is in a position to ask the PRC to act on this and we plan to do that, so we are actually submitting the death certificates, that’s the operative document,” Pangalangan said.

Aside from the deceased doctor, Fortun identified four other physicians through the death certificates of the 13 victims.

“Iyong apat, aba nakalagay pa, acute myocardial infarction, 20 minutes, saan galing ang 20 minutes? Ito iyong maraming tama ng baril ah na may tama sa wrist, imbento na iyon,” she said.

Fortun questioned the manner in which some death certificates were prepared, noting that several were handwritten despite being issued in urban areas such as Caloocan and Quezon City.

She said death certification should be done carefully, citing the standards followed at the Philippine General Hospital and the University of the Philippines, where documents are typed and corrected by preparing a new form when errors are found.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ted Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group and the University of the Philippines College of Law said the doctors could also face criminal charges, depending on whether the erroneous certifications resulted from negligence or deliberate falsification.

“But if it was malicious, meaning there was clear intent to mislead, to remove this person’s identity from this whole mass of EJKs, then you have possible charges of falsification, all of those,” Te said.

Te added that the death certificates could also be corrected through court proceedings.

In 2022, the Court of Appeals ordered the correction of the cause of death in the certificate of 9-year-old Lenin Baylon, changing it from bronchopneumonia to gunshot wound.

Te acknowledged that seeking court intervention could be tedious but said the process could be expedited with the cooperation of Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe.

He noted that the Office of the Solicitor General could oppose petitions for the correction of death certificates, potentially prolonging the proceedings.

“But if there is already an informal or even a formal mechanism, basta may malinaw na ebidensya, hindi na sila tututol, they will just let the court decide, hindi pa rin naman sure kasi court ang magde-decide but you are removing the possible obstacle na tatagal o mago-object ang Solgen,” Te said.

The Truth Commission was established in May by civil society and church groups to investigate the deaths of thousands of Filipinos during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.