In his State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. highlighted his administration’s approach to combating illegal drugs, stressing that it avoids violence.
“Our campaign against dangerous drugs remains a bloodless war, adhering to the ‘8 Es’ of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy,” Marcos stated. “Extermination was never one of them.”
Despite this nonviolent stance, Marcos noted significant achievements: P44 billion worth of illegal drugs seized, over 97,000 arrests made across more than 71,500 operations, and over 6,000 high-value targets apprehended, including 440 government employees.
Additionally, Marcos reported the freezing of P500 million in illicit assets and a 79% drug conviction rate. He also announced a 32% reduction in drug-affected barangays nationwide.
Under former President Rodrigo Duterte, the anti-drug campaign resulted in over 6,000 deaths, with rights groups alleging up to 30,000. Marcos has opposed violent eradication methods, advocating for a “whole-of-nation approach” encompassing prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and law enforcement. This includes reorganizing the Philippine National Police to remove officers involved in past misconduct.
Marcos firmly rejected the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction in the Philippines and its investigation into Duterte’s drug war, considering it a threat to national sovereignty.
Despite Marcos’ reforms, Amnesty International Philippines reported continued drug-related killings in 2023, urging an explicit end to extrajudicial killings and the drug war.