Duterte’s Drug War Has Killed Thousands. Now the Victims’ Families Are Pushing Back

Duterte’s Drug War Has Killed Thousands. Now the Victims’ Families Are Pushing Back
A protester displays a mock target with an image of an alleged victim of extrajudicial killings during a rally in Manila, Philippines, Dec. 10, 2017 (AP photo by Bullit Marquez).

CALOOCAN, Philippines—The battlefield of this war looks like any other bustling urban district in the Philippines.

The sidewalks are crammed with street vendors selling everything from food to underwear. Pedestrians zigzag through the roads, avoiding motorized rickshaws known as tricycles and careening jeepneys, the colorful converted jeeps that are the country’s most common form of public transportation. The air is thick with smog and heavy with the sound of blaring horns and screeching tires.

Set back from the streets are rows of makeshift homes stitched together by pieces of wood, corrugated steel and tarpaulin.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to WPR’s fully searchable library of 16,000+ articles
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday
  • Weekly in-depth reports on important issues and countries
  • Daily links to must-read news and analysis from top sources around the globe, curated by our keen-eyed team of editors
  • The Weekly Wrap-Up email, with highlights of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review