Donate NowWhen he made a pitch for the presidency of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte made a bold promise to rid the streets of drug users and drug pushers in three to six months using a simple law enforcement strategy: Kill them all.
Since then, thousands of drug suspects have been killed in anti-drug police operations or vigilante killings. Duterte remains immensely popular, with approval ratings hovering at around 80 percent.
But on the streets and in the dark corners, there are whispers of fear, outrage, and stifled grief. The body count continues to mount and the international outcry becomes louder.
Journalist Ana Santos and photographer James Whitlow Delano report from a divided Philippines, where the country itself may be the biggest casualty of Duterte’s war on drugs.