By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — January 22, 2026

What Is Known

During the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), the Philippine government pursued an aggressive anti-drug campaign commonly referred to as the “war on drugs.” Official police figures acknowledge thousands of deaths during law-enforcement operations. Independent human rights organizations and UN bodies estimate the number of killings to be significantly higher, citing patterns inconsistent with lawful police conduct.

Most deaths were officially described as the result of suspects “fighting back” during police operations. Critics, including domestic civil-society groups, church organizations, and international observers, argued that many killings were extrajudicial—carried out without due process and with limited accountability.

These concerns were raised repeatedly within the Philippines during the Duterte administration, not only by international actors.

Institutional and Legal Responses

Domestically, investigations were limited and uneven. A small number of police officers were prosecuted, most notably in the 2018 killing of teenager Kian delos Santos, but these cases were exceptions rather than the norm. Structural accountability mechanisms remained weak, and many cases were never formally investigated.

Internationally, the issue drew sustained attention. In 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Council authorized a review of the Philippines’ human rights situation. In 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity related to the drug war, covering the period of Duterte’s presidency and earlier actions in Davao City.

The Philippine government, having withdrawn from the ICC in 2019, disputed the court’s jurisdiction. That legal position has been consistently maintained by successive administrations, though cooperation levels have varied.

Where the Issue Stands Now

As of early 2026, the killings associated with the Duterte-era drug war remain unresolved historically and legally.

The ICC investigation has not been fully closed, though its practical progress depends on international cooperation and jurisdictional disputes. Within the Philippines, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has publicly stated that it does not intend to rejoin the ICC, while signaling conditional cooperation with international mechanisms on a case-by-case basis.

No comprehensive domestic truth-and-accountability process has been established. For many families, cases remain legally dormant.

Why This Matters in Context

For the Philippines, the Duterte-era killings are not an abstract or foreign-imposed issue. They represent a recent period in which state power was exercised aggressively in the name of public order, with lasting consequences for trust in institutions, policing, and the rule of law.

Understanding this history is important not for sensationalism, but for context. The country has already experienced the long-term social and legal costs of governance strategies that deprioritize due process in favor of expediency.

That experience continues to shape Philippine political discourse—quietly, but persistently.

For more social commentary, please see Occupy 2.5 at https://Occupy25.com

This essay is archived as part of the ongoing WPS News Monthly Brief Series available through Amazon.

References

United Nations Human Rights Council. (2020). Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Philippines.

International Criminal Court. (2021). Situation in the Republic of the Philippines: Authorization of Investigation.

Human Rights Watch. (2022). “Our Happy Family Is Gone”: Impact of the “War on Drugs” on Children in the Philippines.

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