THE FINAL SOLUTION –

July 27, 2021 – The killings have alarmed Western governments, U.N. rights experts, and human rights groups. Duterte has acknowledged that he failed to fulfill a campaign promise to eradicate the drug menace and deeply entrenched corruption within six months of becoming president. But he said he had found at least nine police generals and Bureau of Customs officials were involved in the drug trade.

“I did not know that I was fighting my own government,” he said, although the involvement of law enforcers and public officials has long been reported.

Randy Delos Santos, whose 17-year-old nephew, Kian, was shot to death in 2017 by three officers who were later convicted of murder, said the poor have been traumatized by the drug crackdown.

“He has not won this war on drugs, because the problem is still there, but a lot of families have lost their breadwinners,” Delos Santos told The Associated Press. “We’re the biggest loser and we still live in fear.”

An ICC prosecutor said last month a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed under Duterte’s crackdown on drugs and sought permission to open a formal investigation. Duterte said he will never cooperate with a possible investigation.

Allies have defended Duterte’s record, with documentaries on state-run TV and speeches highlighting his administration’s efforts to fight criminality, poverty, corruption, and decades-long communist and Muslim insurgencies, as well as build infrastructure. 

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