One year into the Duterte administration, the international community has taken cognizance of the bloody drug war that has already claimed thousands of Filipino lives. Most recently, martial law has been declared in Mindanao, a move questioned by progressives as a disproportionate response to the terror threats in a small Southern city, and could further human rights violations and instigate fear around the country.
A major shift in international policy has also been observed: International institutions who have criticized the administration’s policies have been the subject of undiplomatic responses by President Duterte.
With the tightening of democratic spaces in the Philippines, attention and pressure from the international community is crucial in the promotion of human rights and civil liberties, in reminding agreements to which the Philippines is party to, and in engaging political players in search of constructive solutions.
