After the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte’s declared a
bloody war on illegal drugs and gave the directive for the police to
kill drug dealers, it has been a free for all for the Filipino police
and vigilantes.
In his first state of the nation address to parliament Mr Duterte, said
that drugs were ‘drowning his country’ and had to be stopped at all
costs. ‘Double your efforts. Triple them if need be,’ Mr Duterte told
police.
‘We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the
last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars … or below ground
if you wish,’ he said.
In the streets, are the bodies of men killed by the police. Some men
are seen stripped to their underwear, with their hands, feet and
faces tied. Others have their faces covered in tape before been shot in
the head. Wives and family members are seen crying and clutching the
lifeless bodies of their loved ones who were killed in the summary
executions carried out by police officers, without the benefit of a full
and fair trial.
According to human rights groups, the statistics obtained from the
police showed Mr Duterte’s violent crackdown has claimed the lives of
293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and
July 24. This figure does not include drug dealers killed by vigilante
groups and those working outside the law.
The president also made it clear that he would pardon police if they were charged with human rights violations.