As the Marcos administration continues to flaunt their relative achievements in a “bloodless” drug war—multiple arrests, tons of confiscated illegal drugs—repeatedly left out of these narratives are the still unmitigated violence that is increasingly perpetrated by criminal elements said to be outside the reach of state forces. And again, state agents continue to kill. The “bloodless” drug war continues, and more so, and as before, spills over to innocent civilians. Their increasing death count cannot simply be dismissed as insignificant casualties.

IDPC report: The most notorious example is the national anti-drug campaign in the Philippines, which began in June 2016 at the explicit instructions of then President Rodrigo Duterte, immediately upon his taking office. Four years later, the OHCHR (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) set the conservative estimate for the number of killings at 8,663, whilst noting that some estimates were three times higher. The use of lethal force has continued to be a hallmark of drug policing in the Philippines beyond the Duterte administration.

Frenchie Mae’s arrest, prolonged detention, and eventual conviction for terror financing – based largely on testimonial evidence – form part of a broader pattern: the use of terror-tagging and anti-terror laws to blur the line between journalism and criminality. This practice did not end with the Duterte administration. Despite having the power to reverse course, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has failed to dismantle the mechanisms that allow such prosecutions to persist.

Social media platforms backed by multi-million dollar companies must also be held accountable in the proliferation of disinformation, and not just profit from the crisis, political scientist Cleve Arguelles urged.