When her son, Lester, told her that he was going to have a haircut because he was going back to school again, never did Anna Ramos imagine that, that would be her last conversation with him.
More unimaginable and unacceptable was the next scene when she found Lester in a morgue and his killing was labeled by the police as a shootout with “a drug user.”
In a recorded video released by the Philippine Truth Commission, Anna Ramos recounted the death of her 23-year-old son, Kim Lester Ramos, who was killed in Marikina City on Oct. 5, 2019 during the war on drugs campaign of the previous administration.
Kim was the eldest of Anna’s children and had been a working student. He used to sell suman as early as 5 a.m. and helped his uncle repack chicharon to earn money.
“Kung anong pwedeng pagkakitaan, basta marangal (Any way to earn an income, as long as it is an honest job),” Anna said.
While in high school, Kim became involved in Christian activities and helped organize young people in the community through basketball.
“Lagi na siya doon sa kabila, sa Marikina, parang nag-recruit na siya ng mga kabataan kaysa daw mapunta sa masamang bisyo, mag-basketball na lang,” Anna recalled.
(He’s always over there in Marikina, it seems he’s been recruiting young people, encouraging them to play basketball instead of falling into vices.)
Kim eventually finished high school. But after his first semester in college, he had to stop his studies and join his father in construction work to help support his sibling’s education.
He had bigger dreams and he wanted to continue his studies. He was planning to go back to school. To prepare for it, he had to get a haircut.
He never made it to the barber shop., Kim was shot dead by police in a drug operation.
“Bakit kako ganyan? Anong kasalanan niya? Tapos sunod na nakita ko siya, nasa morgue na. Doon ko na siya nakita ulit,” she said.
(Why is it like this? What did he do wrong? The next time I saw him, he was already in the morgue. That was where I saw him again.)
Carrying the pain as they move on
Seven years after his death, Anna said she still carries the pain of losing her son, a grief that she said has also affected Kim’s siblings.
“Tanggapin na natin si kuya na wala na sa atin (Let us accept that your older brother is no longer with us),” she said.
Anna’s narrative was part of the Philippine Truth Commission’s hearings that document alleged extra-judicial killings tied to the drug war during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The third live public hearing featuring Anna’s testimony was cancelled out of respect for the ongoing proceedings involving her son’s case, according to the Truth Commission.
On Sept. 2, the remains of Kim buried at the Cainta Public Cemetery were exhumed for investigation by experts led by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun.
The commission, led by civil society and religious groups, aims to center on the stories of drug war victims, including cases that fall outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, whose investigation covers alleged drug war killings from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.