A woman named “Aling Sheila,” who tragically lost two sons — one during the Duterte administration and another under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term — is now facing online ridicule and harassment. Human rights lawyer Maria Sol Taule of the rights group Karapatan condemned the online attacks on Wednesday, denouncing the mockery aimed at victims of human rights violations.
Nanay Sheila became the target of social media users who questioned the timing of her son’s death based on the photograph she held during a press conference. Some claimed that her son had died in 2024, during Marcos Jr.’s presidency, implying that her narrative was inconsistent. Taule, however, clarified on social media platform X that Sheila was holding photos of her two sons — both killed under the Duterte and Marcos administrations.
“I was at the press conference where rabid Duterte supporters and fake news peddlers attacked Nanay Sheila. They said she was holding a photo of her son killed during the time of Marcos and not Duterte,” Taule said. “Wrong, she was holding two photos of her sons here, both killed during the [Duterte] and Marcos admins,” she emphasized.
Taule condemned the cruel attacks and expressed her anger, saying, “Shame on those who mock the victims. May you find a lifetime of misery.”
Despite the Marcos administration’s stated shift from Duterte’s controversial drug war, data from UP Diliman-based monitor Dahas PH showed 934 reported drug-related killings under Marcos Jr. as of March 15, 2025. This tally includes deaths of law enforcement personnel during operations.
Karapatan further highlighted the harassment faced by women relatives of drug war victims, along with lawyer Kristina Conti of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), who has been assisting families in their pursuit of justice.
Karapatan revealed that many of the posts directed at these women and Conti included death threats, hate speech, and sexist remarks. The group stressed that these attacks are not random but “well-funded and systematic, with a clear political agenda.”
“This form of harassment against the women relatives of victims is one of the most stark examples of the engendered impunity during the Duterte administration that continues under the current Marcos government,” Karapatan said.
The organization urged Filipinos to stand in solidarity with the families of victims and all others who have been targeted by disinformation and online harassment.