24 Aug 2019

The hidden casualties of Duterte's war on drugs

From Saturday Morning, 9:07 am on 24 August 2019

Journalist Sheila Coronel has been investigating thousands of extra-judicial killings in the Phillipines conducted under the guise of president Rodrigo Duterte's 'war on drugs'.

The police themselves say they have killed some 5,500 drug suspects over the past three years, and that 'unknown gunmen' have killed 3,000 more suspects. But the reporting by Coronel and her team suggest that this is a gross underestimation, with the real figure being more than 3 times the official police count in some areas. 

Other countries are looking towards The Philippines as a model in their own fight against drug abuse despite the deaths being under investigation by the United Nations.

Sheila Coronel is the Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

Residents and activists chant slogans during the funeral procession of Kian Loyd Delos Santos in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, August 26, 2017.

Residents and activists chant slogans during the funeral procession of Kian Loyd Delos Santos in Caloocan, Metro Manila, Philippines, August 26, 2017. Photo: AFP