Resource September 11, 2017
Meet the Journalists: Ana P. Santos and James Whitlow Delano
Country:
What happens to civil society in a country that democratically elects a leader who encourages the...
When 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.
![Remy Fernandez, 84 years old, holds two of the seven grandchildren she is raising. Her youngest son, Constantino de Juan, a methamphetamine user, was killed by masked men in December, 2016. Upon seeing his attackers, Juan instructed five-year-old CJ, shown here wearing a red tank top, to take care of his siblings. The children's mother is in prison due to a drug arrest. Baby RJ, in the "daddy's little helper" T-shirt, was born in prison. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2017.](/sites/default/files/08-11-17/delano_remy_payatas_1001.jpg "Remy Fernandez, 84 years old, holds two of the seven grandchildren she is raising. Her youngest son, Constantino de Juan, a methamphetamine user, was killed by masked men in December, 2016. Upon seeing his attackers, Juan instructed five-year-old CJ, shown here wearing a red tank top, to take care of his siblings. The children's mother is in prison due to a drug arrest. Baby RJ, in the "daddy's little helper" T-shirt, was born in prison. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2017.")
