DeepSummary
The podcast episode discusses the ongoing war on drugs in the Philippines, which began under former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 and has resulted in the deaths of over 8,000 people. Although the current President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., vowed to end the killings and focus on rehabilitation, NPR's Emily Feng found that hundreds of people are still being killed every year without due process, often based on mere suspicion of drug use or selling.
Feng visited areas that were hotspots for killings during Duterte's presidency, speaking with researchers, doctors, advocates, and victims' families to understand the root causes and challenges of the drug war. Despite the government's claims of a 'bloodless' approach, Feng's reporting revealed a continuation of extrajudicial killings, social stigma around drug use, lack of rehabilitation infrastructure, and a culture of impunity within law enforcement.
The episode highlights the personal stories of individuals like Tin, whose husband was killed by police, and the Baltazar family, who lost their 17-year-old son Jemboy in a case of mistaken identity by police. Feng also visited a rehabilitation clinic and spoke with a doctor about the challenges of implementing a rehabilitation-focused policy after years of violence.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Despite promises from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to end the violence and focus on rehabilitation, extrajudicial killings related to the war on drugs have continued in the Philippines, with hundreds of deaths occurring each year without due process.
- There is a deeply ingrained social stigma around drug use in the Philippines, fueled by religious and cultural beliefs, which contributes to the acceptance of harsh punitive measures against drug users and sellers.
- The lack of a robust rehabilitation infrastructure and insufficient funding for treatment programs poses a significant challenge to shifting the policy approach from punishment to rehabilitation.
- The culture of impunity within law enforcement, stemming from the Duterte era, has persisted under the Marcos administration, with police facing little accountability for extrajudicial killings.
- The drug war has disproportionately affected the urban poor, with many killings concentrated in impoverished neighborhoods, perpetuating a cycle of violence and poverty.
- There is a growing movement of researchers, advocates, and victims' families working to document and raise awareness of the human cost of the drug war, often facing opposition and intimidation from authorities.
- Despite the ongoing violence and lack of significant policy changes, there is still support for the drug war among some segments of the population, fueled by a belief in its necessity and a normalization of the brutal tactics employed.
- The episode highlights the personal stories and grief of victims' families, underscoring the human toll of the drug war and the urgent need for accountability, due process, and a more humane approach to addressing drug use and addiction.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Sirioso is one of 342 people killed in drug related operations in 2023 alone, entirely without due process.“ by Emily Feng
- “Even though we've changed presidents, the culture is still the same, as is the culture of impunity in the police and the government. It's the status quo.“ by Mother Marianne
- “They're being killed without due process.“ by Emily Feng
- “They are very afraid, so their house, they padlock their house.“ by Romeo Grutas
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Episode Information
Up First
NPR
5/19/24
Since 2016, thousands have been killed in the Philippines' war on drugs. The bloody campaign began under the Philippines' last president, Rodrigo Duterte, who said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts in the country. When current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, he promised to end this spree of state-sanctioned killings of alleged drug users and sellers, and focus on rehabilitation instead.
In today's episode of The Sunday Story, NPR's Emily Feng travels to the Philippines to see what has come of Marcos' attempt to burnish the country's international reputation and to put an end to what most people in the Philippines now refer to as EJKs, or "extrajudicial killings." She found that the killings have continued. And she spoke to researchers, doctors, advocates, and victims' families to try to understand why.
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