Nine Years After Her Son’s Killing in Duterte's ‘Drug War,’ a Mother Brings Her Case to the Truth Commission

Nanette Castillo will testify on Friday at the 5th Public Truth-Telling Session of the Truth Commission about the 2017 shooting of her son, a welder gunned down on a street in Tondo, Manila.

MANILA (Oct. 22, 2026) — Nine years after gunmen killed her son on a street in Tondo, Nanette Castillo will testify before the Truth Commission at its fifth public truth-telling session on Friday, Oct. 23. “Nanay” Nanette will describe the killing of her son, Aldrin Natividad Castillo, and the years she has spent trying to learn who was responsible.

Police and medical records documenting the attack will be presented alongside her account during the session, which starts at 9:30 am on Friday at the Co Po Ty Audio Visual Room at Adamson University in Manila. Nanay Nesnette’s testimony will be livestreamed on the commission’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

Aldrin was one among the thousands who were killed during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “drug war.” Authorities put the official death toll of the campaign at more than 6,000 but human rights groups say it’s more than 30,000. Duterte, who is detained in The Hague, is set to go on trial on Nov. 30 before the International Criminal Court on three counts of crimes against humanity tied to the killings.

The Truth Commission’s public truth-telling sessions record the accounts of families and weigh the documents and forensic evidence in their cases as part of a call for accountability. Nanette Castilo at the exhumation of her son Aldrin's remains on Sept 24, 2026. (Photo by Raffy Lerma)

A Case of Mistaken Identity?

Aldrin, 32, worked as a welder. In a sworn statement, Nanay Nanette said he had gone to Tondo to visit his sister and fix her air-conditioner. He later joined friends near the corner of Tioco and Herbosa Streets.

According to the police incident report, Aldrin was sweeping the spot where he and his friends had been drinking when men on motorcycles arrived at about 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2017. Two of the riders got off, walked up to him and took turns shooting him before fleeing.

Aldrin’s death certificate lists multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body. A police autopsy report describes five separate wounds, with bullets entering and exiting his head and upper body.

The police said they recovered five spent shell casings at the scene, two from .45-caliber rounds and three from .40-caliber rounds, and sent them for laboratory testing.

The session will set these findings beside Nanette’s testimony and the police account of the shooting. Dr. Raquel Fortun, a member of the commission and the country's foremost forensic pathologist, will present an analysis of her findings.

Years of Seeking Answers

At Friday’s session, she will ask why her son was killed and what investigators have done to find the men who shot him.

In her affidavit, Nanette said she believed the gunmen had mistaken Aldrin for someone else. She said she had been told they were looking for a man in a white sleeveless shirt.

On Nov. 7, 2017, Nanette filed a sworn complaint with the Commission on Human Rights. She has since spoken publicly about the obstacles families face after a killing.

In a 2019 interview with VERA Files, she said that more than a year after the shooting, the police still had not given her an official written report. She also said she feared for the safety of her family and of witnesses. Her experience shows how grieving families are left to chase basic information while worrying about their own safety.

The Truth Commission will press for access to case records and for the protection of witnesses.

Standing With Other Families

Nanette remembers Aldrin as an affectionate son who was close to her. Since his death, she has joined public calls for justice and volunteered with Rise Up for Life and for Rights, a church-based group that supports families of people killed in the drug war. She has also worked at Silingan Coffee, a cafe in Quezon City that employs relatives of drug war victims.

Her testimony will honor the son she lost and show how that loss led her to stand with other grieving families. (Truth Commission)

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