The death of a 17-year-old boy has put a face on the drug war in the Philippines

Kian Delos Santos, a 17-year-old high school student, was shot to death by police officers last week.

He is just one of thousands that have fallen victim to the Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte's harsh crackdown on drugs.

Yet his death has sparked a new wave of outrage across the country, with many finally speaking out and calling for an end to the killings.

SEE ALSO: Philippine president compares himself to Hitler in his latest offensive comment

According to police officials, Delos Santos was in his hometown of Caloocan city last Tuesday, when he pulled out a gun and opened fire when he saw officers approaching as part of an anti-drug raid.

The policemen shot back, fatally.

But security footage later emerged, showing the boy being dragged away by two officers to a place where his body was later found.

Eyewitnesses say that he was framed, and was handed a gun and ordered to run by police officers.

According to reports, rogue Philippine police have in the past been accused of framing, extorting and murdering people under the cover of the recent anti-drug campaign. 

Delos Santos' family says he was "mercilessly shot" by police while pleading for his life.

Image: AFP/Getty Images

Delos Santos was described as being a hardworking and studious boy who had no involvement in drugs. He wanted to be a policeman when he grew up.

His death has led to the suspension of the police chief in Caloocan city, and an ongoing investigation into the incident by the Department of Justice.

Although the case is pending, the public outrage has hit a boiling point.

Church leaders have criticised the government's campaign,  and began ringing church bells for 15 minutes every night for three months to raise alarm over the killings.

Public protests have also taken place, with protesters marching to the site where he was gunned down.

Online, people were equally enraged, and the hashtag #JusticeForKian has begun trending in the Philippines:

What is the 'war on drugs' in the Philippines that everyone's talking about?

As of the beginning of 2017, more than 7,000 people have been killed since President Duterte launched his 'war' on drugs last year, according to Human rights group Amnesty International.

The controversial campaign was aimed at wiping out the drug trade in the Philippines, but has resulted in a huge number of deaths.

Amnesty have also accused Philippine police of planning extrajudicial killings.

According to the group, officers have planted evidence and falsified reports, receiving "financial incentives" for the killings and a payment for each death.

Some 32 people were killed last Tuesday alone in drug raids, believed to be the highest death toll in a day under the campaign. 

President Duterte praised the crackdown, saying that if the country "could kill another 32 every day, then maybe we can reduce what ails this country."

He has previously said that he was "happy to slaughter" drug users and dismissed the death of children as "collateral damage."

On Delos Santos' death, he said he was in support of the investigation, adding that he saw the CCTV footage of the incident.

"Should the investigation point to liabilities...there will be a prosecution and they have to go to jail if convicted," he said.

WATCH: This jacket uses solar power to give off a Kryptonite-like glow in the dark