Mother of drug victim killed over mistaken identity clings to hope for justice

MANILA, Philippines – “Kahit justice delayed, justice denied, umaasa pa rin kami (Even if it’s justice delayed, justice denied, we’re still holding on to hope),” said single mother Lorna Pepaño whose son, Christian, was a victim of extrajudicial killing in 2020. Pepaño, 72, recounted the killing of her son during the fourth truth-telling session of the Philippine Truth Commission on October 9. Christian, 39, was shot four times by riding-in-tandem gunmen in Quezon City on the early evening of May 18, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Pepaño, Christian headed outside to buy her maintenance medicine for hypertension. An hour later, a neighbor told her that her son was shot dead just blocks away from their house. RECOLLECTION. 72-year-old Lorna Pepaño, a single mother, becomes emotional as she recounts the death of her son, Christian, during the fourth truth-telling session of the Philippine Truth Commission on October 9, 2026, at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center, Manila. Rhen Peñada/Rappler The perpetrators allegedly mistook her son for their supposed victim because they were wearing the same clothes. “Ginaya [ng mga hinahabol ng ‘riding-in-tandem’] ‘yong damit ng anak ko, kaya ‘yong anak ko ang na-target (My son was targeted because the person the riding-in-tandem was pursuing wore the same clothes),” said Pepaño. The perpetrators initially fired four shots at Christian, but the latter still managed to run away. Unfortunately, they caught up with him in the streets of Barangay Holy Spirit, where he was killed. “Hindi po ako ‘yon…. Hindi po ako ‘yon (It’s not me…. it’s not me),” were Christian’s last words before he was mistakenly shot death, Lorna recounted. “Pare, hindi siya ‘yong target natin. Mali (He’s not our target. We got it wrong),” Pepaño recalled the perpetrators’ belated realization. She added: “Bakit? Nagbase ba sila sa damit? Kaya isinisigaw ko na hindi ganoon ‘yong anak ko. Porke’t ganoon ‘yong damit niya, suspect na?” (Why? Did they just base it on clothes? That’s why I’m insisting that my son is not who they claim to be. Just because of his clothes, he’s already a suspect?) The day Christian was killed, Pepaño said she saw the perpetrators and their supposed target loitering outside their residential compound. “Sumisilip sa compound namin pero ‘di ko pinapansin kasi wala naman akong pakialam sa kanila kung ano man sila. Hindi ko naman iniisip na mapapatay ‘yong anak ko na wala namang kinalaman sa mga sitwasyon na iniisip nila. Masakit…. Ang dami kong ‘bakit’ na tanong na walang sagot,” Pepaño added. (They were peeking in our compound, but I ignored them because I didn’t care whoever they were)I never thought my son would get killed over the situations that they accuse him of. It hurts… I have so many why’s that were never answered.) NOT FORGOTTEN. An empty chair memorial for Christian Pepaño. A good son to his mother and brother to his siblings, Christian was supposed to buy his mother’s hypertension maintenance medicine before he was gunned down in Quezon City on May 18, 2020. Rhen Peñada/Rappler Christian’s killers have yet to be tracked down. Established on May 27 this year, the Philippine Truth Commission is an independent, civilian-led institution that documents violations and extrajudicial killings connected to the war on drugs campaign of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The commission brings together testimony, records, research, and public truth-telling sessions for policy advocacy and institutional reforms. Duterte, who faces three counts of crimes against humanity, is currently detained in the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, after his arrest in March 2025. Lack of probe, cycle of killings Forensic pathologist and truth commissioner Dr. Raquel Fortun said she was skeptical about the issued death certificate to Christian’s family. Like other drug war victims, Fortun and her team also conducted n examination of Christian’s remains. Signed May 20, 2020, or two days after Christian’s death, the death certificate claimed that the victim had only around two minutes to live after receiving the fatal gunshot wounds to his head and trunk. “‘Pag tiningnan ‘nyo ‘yong injuries niya, I doubt tumagal siya ng isang minuto sa grabe nang tama niya (If you take his injuries into account, I doubt he even lasted a minute due to the gravity of the shots he sustained),” Fortun argued. Not only that, Fortun was also surprised by the doctor’s decision to put “homicide” as the victim’s manner of death. She explained that even doctors do not usually put “homicide” in cases involving gunned-down victims. Despite the lack of police reports and forensic evidence, Fortun was able to confirm that Christian died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and trunk. “Pinagyayabang ng PNP (Philippine National Police) na meron silang IDs, raid lists, and then hitlists…. May laman ba ‘yong database nila (The PNP boasts they have IDs, raid lists, and then hitlists…. Does their database contain anything)?” Fortun questioned the PNP’s lack of evidence in the said incident. “Kaya tuloy-tuloy ang patayan kasi walang imbestigasyon (Killings persist because there are no investigations),” Fortun added. FINDINGS. Forensic pathologist and truth commissioner Dr. Raquel Fortun presents her team’s findings on the remains of the late Christian Pepaño during the truth-telling session. Rhen Peñada/Rappler The Philippine Truth Commission is set to have its first conference on November 23, to release its first report on its independent investigations and documentation of Duterte-time killings. – Rappler.com Rhen Peñada, a Rappler intern, is a junior information technology student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Santa Rosa, Laguna campus. He is a former staffer of his school paper, “Ang Alpas.”