A man who survived a police drug operation in the Philippines, in which four of his friends were shot dead, will soon testify against officers after a court ruling today paved the way for criminal proceedings to be brought.

The case marks the first significant legal challenge to President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war - which has seen more than 7,000 people killed in the seven months since he came to power.

Aug 2016: Philippines Police Kill Hundreds In Their War On Drugs

It follows a damning report by Amnesty International, which claimed police involvement in extra-judicial killings in the course of anti-drug operations may amount to "crimes against humanity".

The Court of Appeal in Manila today upheld a complaint put forward by 28-year-old Efren Morillo - one of five men, aged in their late twenties and early thirties, who were shot by armed police in civilian clothing in Payatas last August.

Image: The scene of the killings in Payatas

Four of the young men died at the scene, but Mr Morillo was shot in the chest, and survived by playing dead.


Mr Morillo and the families of the men killed, last week won an interim court order preventing the accused officers from approaching them, intimidating them, or conducting drug operations in the area.

Lawyers representing the Philippines National Police and Office of the Solicitor General chose not to contest their petition at the Court of Appeal today, paving the way for criminal proceedings to be brought, which are likely to include murder charges.

Image: Efren Morillo was injured in the shooting

Since the shooting last summer Mr Morillo has been in the protective custody of the Philippines Commission for Human Rights for his own safety.

He denies he or his friends were involved in any illegal drug use, and alleges the officers shot them "execution-style" despite them making no effort to resist arrest.

But even with the protection order of the courts, Mr Morillo's father, Martino, said he and the other petitioners continue to fear for their lives.

"I am not that convinced that the court order will hold. We know how it is today. They can use other people to get to us, or not wear their uniforms. Then we wouldn't recognise them. They can do that," he said.

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The lawyer leading the case, however, is determined to continue the legal challenge - claiming evidence shows officers fabricated evidence, and tried to conceal the fact they had no operational jurisdiction in the area where the killings took place.

In an interview with Sky News, Attorney Romel Bagares, Executive Director of the Centre for International Law, said:

"The next step will be to file criminal charges against the killers, and that would mean we will be filing murder and frustrated murder charges against them".

"This is nothing but cold blooded murder, carried out by men in uniform," he added.

The case of Efren Morillo is just the latest in a series of scandals that have rocked the Philippines National Police.

Image: Mr Morillo's father Martino fears for his own life

The most high-profile so far was the kidnap and murder of a South Korean businessman inside the national police headquarters, which an official investigation has concluded was part of an extortion racket using the drug war as cover.

In response President Duterte has suspended all police drug operations, and suggested up to 40% of the national force may be corrupt.

He has transferred leadership of the anti-drug campaign to the country's Drug Enforcement Agency and indicated he may yet draft in the army to assist.

Image: The case marks the first significant legal challenge to President Duterte's drug war

However, critics have suggested the President himself should take responsibility for the actions of police officers, due to the support he has previously given for the mounting death toll seen by some as tacit encouragement of the killings.

But this point was dismissed by police director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the national capital region, when it was put to him by Sky News.

"The President didn't say anything about going beyond the law. He said 'I'll support you in operations that are service orientated'. And look at what's happened now.

"Some policemen went beyond the law, and look at us now, the President didn't tolerate any of it."