Virgilio Lorenzo Jr

Rodrigo Baylon has finally received the corrected death certificate of his son Lenin Baylon after nearly 9 years. Photo courtesy of IDEALS

Article (news)

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:952px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1744515010089New Project (3).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Rodrigo Baylon has finally received the corrected death certificate of his son Lenin Baylon after nearly 9 years. Photo courtesy of IDEALS</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The family of a child killed in a shootout during former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s war on drugs has finally received his corrected death certificate nearly nine years since his killing, a lawyering group that helps facilitate justice for the poor said this week.</p><p>The initial death certificate of Lenin Baylon — whom his family says is a victim of Duterte&#x27;s drug war — indicated that he succumbed to bronchopneumonia when he actually died of a gunshot wound, the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through
Alternative Legal Services or IDEALS said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/war-on-drugs">Drug War: The Unheard Voices</a></div><div><strong>KILLED BY STRAY BULLET</strong></div><p>On December 2, 2016, a stray bullet killed Lenin, only nine years old at the time, during a drug-related shootout in Caloocan City, the group said. The killing happened only three days before Lenin&#x27;s 10th birthday.</p><p>The Baylon family, according to the group, did not have P16,000 to pay for an autopsy at the time and was &quot;forced to sign a waiver agreeing to list bronchopneumonia&quot; as Lenin&#x27;s cause of death.</p><p>&quot;This long-overdue state acknowledgment is a significant step in shedding light [on] the truth of Lenin’s death, which his father Rodrigo Baylon alongside various human rights groups have relentlessly fought for,&quot; said the lawyering group, which has been providing legal assistance to the Baylon family since 2019.</p><p>&quot;For years, the family lived with the pain not only of loss, but of being denied the truth in a false official record,&quot; it said.</p><p>&quot;Sa wakas nakamit din namin ang katotohanan. Ang puso ko&#x27;y masaya at malungkot nang sabay. Dapat sana&#x27;y binata, 18 na taon na siya ngayon, pero hindi na siya nabigyan ng pagkakataong mabuhay nang normal,&quot; Lenin&#x27;s father, Rodrigo, was quoted as saying in the group&#x27;s statement.</p><p>(At last, we have finally obtained the truth. My heart is both happy and sad at the same time. He should have been a young man by now, 18 years old, but he was never given the chance to live a normal life.)</p><div><strong>FALSIFIED DEATH CERTIFICATES</strong></div><p><strong></strong>Causes of death of Duterte&#x27;s drug war victims &quot;were automatically tagged as a form of sickness if the body did not go through an autopsy,&quot; the group said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/02/03/23/more-drug-war-victims-have-falsified-death-certificates-forensic-expert">Forensic expert bares more drug war victims have falsified death certificates</a></div><p>In April 2022, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun found that dozens of victims of the drug war had &quot;false&quot; causes of death indicated in their death certificates, it said.</p><p>Fortun&#x27;s autopsy of at least 46 cases of killings indicated they had died of gunshot wounds instead of natural causes like sepsis or pneumonia, as indicated in their death certificates, it said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/02/02/23/fortun-reports-inconsistencies-in-kian-delos-santos-autopsy">Forensic expert reports inconsistencies in Kian Delos Santos autopsy</a></div><p>The lawyering group said it had documented four of the 46 cases, including Lenin&#x27;s.</p><p>In November 2022, the Court of Appeals ruled that Lenin&#x27;s father Rodrigo was coerced into signing the false death certificate and ordered the correction. </p><p>More than two years later, Rodrigo received the corrected document.</p><div><strong>&#x27;PARTIAL VICTORY&#x27;</strong></div><p>Rodrigo treats the court&#x27;s ruling as a partial victory but acknowledges the correction as an &quot;important precedent&quot; for EJK victims with falsified records, according to the group.</p><p>Lawyer Ansheline Bacudio, IDEALS program director for human rights, said: &quot;It is the first time that a false death certificate tied to the drug war has been corrected, setting a precedent for other families in the same situation waiting for their loved one’s deaths to be acknowledged.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/20/remulla-says-justice-failures-forced-drug-war-victims-families-to-turn-to-icc-1842">Remulla says justice failures forced drug war victims&#x27; families to turn to ICC</a></div><p>&quot;While Lenin’s case marks a significant step forward, the broader issue of accountability remains unresolved for many families of victims. Without clear paths to justice, these families remain vulnerable,&quot; Bacudio said.</p>

<p>The initial death certificate of Lenin Baylon, 9, indicated that he succumbed to bronchopneumonia when he actually died of a gunshot wound, lawyers' group IDEALS said.</p>

The initial death certificate of Lenin Baylon, 9, indicated that he succumbed to bronchopneumonia when he actually died of a gunshot wound, lawyers' group IDEALS said.

Young drug war victim’s death certificate finally corrected to indicate gunshot wound

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Young drug war victim’s death certificate finally corrected to indicate gunshot wound

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 13, 2025 11:30 AM PHT

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