‘Bloodless’ war? Marcos touts ‘silent’ drug crackdown, data bares otherwise

Under the silent drug war of the second Marcos regime, the drug war killings persist

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. might have rebuffed his predecessor’s brutal anti-illegal drug campaign with this declaration on his third State of the Nation Address: “Our bloodless war on dangerous drugs adheres, and will continue to adhere, to the established ‘8 Es’ of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy. Extermination was never one of them.”

But is it really the case? Data from the Dahas Project, an initiative by the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center, refutes his administration’s bold claim.

Dahas recorded over 800 cases of drug-related killings from July 2022 to October 2024, more than two years since the late dictator’s son assumed presidency. 

Cebu City emerged as the leading hotspot with 144 recorded killings. Davao del Sur came in second with 103 deaths followed by Metro Manila with 88 fatalities. 

State agents, including members of the Philippine National Police, were responsible for 47% of the killings during Marcos Jr.’s first year and 32.4% during his second year.

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