What’s the state of Philippine human rights under Marcos?

by CECIL MORELLA Philstar.com

MANILA — When Philippine

President Ferdinand Marcos was swept to power in 2022, human rights activists feared the worst.

Marcos had been a vocal supporter of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte's drug war that killed thousands of people, and publicly praised his dictator father's rule.

But, as he seeks to strengthen ties with Washington and attract foreign investment, Marcos has presented himself as more moderate than Duterte, who threatened to kill people and repeatedly disparaged human rights.

In reality, nearly a year into Marcos's term, activists say little has changed on the ground.

After a judge's decision on Wednesday, June 7 to reject jailed Duterte critic Leila de Lima's bail application, AFP looks at the state of human rights under Marcos. Is there still a drug war?

During Duterte's six-year drug war, thousands of mostly