One Year Later - Rodrigo Roa Duterteās victory in the 2016 national elections was built on the back of promises to eliminate the drug problem in the country. The centerpiece of his program of government was suppressing crime, illegal drugs and corruption. He believes these are the problems holding back the growth of the economy.
To install law and order, the president launched a war against criminals, drug lords and corrupt government officials using the forces under his disposal - the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Since taking power, his mantra of making the country free from illegal drugs and criminality at any cost has been unchanged. More than a year into his term, the governmentās anti-narcotics drive has resulted to more than twelve thousand deaths. The president even went as far as to declaring the innocents killed in his war on drugs as collateral damage, either dying during encounters with local authorities or being killed by unidentified gunmen.
Despite local and foreign allegations, the killings continue claiming more lives everyday and leaving families in mourning.
Photos/Basilio H. Sepe
