24-7-2023 (MANILA) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has announced a “new face” for the nation’s anti-narcotics campaign, focusing on rehabilitation and education. However, activists insist that despite the shift in focus, people are still being killed illegally. The drug war, started by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, has led to the deaths of thousands of people, sparking condemnation and an international probe into alleged human rights abuses. The deadly crackdown has continued under Marcos, the son and namesake of the country’s former dictator, even as he pushes for a greater emphasis on prevention and treatment.
According to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of such killings, more than 350 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office in June 2022. Despite this, Marcos said during his second State of the Nation address to lawmakers, diplomats, and judges that the government’s drug campaign is now geared toward community-based treatment, rehabilitation, education, and reintegration to curb drug dependence.
Marcos also said the government would “relentlessly continue” its fight against drug syndicates and crack down on “unscrupulous law enforcers” involved in the drug trade. He added that he would be accepting their resignations to cheers and applause. rights activists have expressed outrage at Marcos’s speech, which came days after his declaration that the Philippines would no longer deal with the International Criminal Court. The Hague-based tribunal rejected Manila’s appeal to stop a drug war investigation.
“The supposed new face of his anti-narcotics campaign is merely a rehash of tired old PR lines that mean literally nothing in the context of the continuing EJKs (extra-judicial killings) in his drug war, and his disinterest and even contempt for justice for the victims during the past administration,” said Cristina Palabay of human rights alliance Karapatan.
Marcos also highlighted his government’s efforts in the past year to boost agricultural productivity, improve education, and build infrastructure. He sought to drum up congressional support for his legislative agenda, including reforming the military and uniformed personnel pension system to make it more sustainable and granting amnesties to insurgents who surrender.
Political analysts have given Marcos a “passing grade” for his first year, saying he has exceeded expectations. They noted that Marcos’s greatest achievement so far was writing off $1.04 billion in land-related debt owed by more than half a million farmers.
