CITATIONS
7 April 2024
Philippines: New ‘Drug War’ Declared in Davao City
Human Rights Watch
These recent killings in Davao City are merely a spike in a “drug war” that has never stopped, Human Rights Watch said. The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center has reported that since Duterte became mayor in June 2022, Davao del Sur, the city’s greater provincial area, has had more drug-related killings than any other area in the country, including Metro Manila. Read full report
25 March 2024
Abuse of Power: Under Marcos, War on Drugs Drags on in Manila
DW Bureau, DT Next
Dahas recorded 342 drug casualties from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, at an average rate of 0.9 deaths per day, a tad higher than the 0.8 daily average during Duterte’s last year in office. The project logged 165 more deaths during the last six months of 2023, and 29 each in January and February this year. Duterte’s years-long anti-drug campaign left thousands of people dead, as a result of either police operations or vigilante killings. Read full report
24 March 2024
Violencia Policial y Asisenatos en Masa: Cómo Continúa la Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico en Filipinas
PorCanal26
El proyecto Dahas de la Universidad de Filipinas registró 342 víctimas del narcotráfico entre el 1 de julio de 2022 y el 30 de junio de 2023, a un ritmo de aproximadamente 0,9 muertes por día en promedio, un poco más que la media diaria de 0,8 durante el último año de mandato de Duterte. En los últimos seis meses del año pasado, en la investigación reportaron 165 muertes, y 29 en los primeros dos meses de 2024. Read full report
24 March 2024
Philippinen: Drogenkrieg Geht Unvermindert Weiter
Nikka Valenzuela, Deutsche Welle
“Aber Statistiken über die Tötungen im Zusammenhang mit Drogen zeichnen ein anderes Bild. Daten des Dahas-Projekts, einer Initiative der Universität der Philippinen, zeigen, dass sich die Gewalt auf dem gleichen Niveau fortsetzt wie während der Präsidentschaft unter Duterte. Dahas verzeichnete vom 1. Juli 2022 bis zum 30. Juni 2023 die Zahl von 342 Tötungen, was durchschnittlich 0,9 Todesfällen pro Tag entspricht und damit sogar etwas mehr als der Tagesdurchschnitt von 0,8 im letzten Amtsjahr des umstrittenen Präsident Duterte.” Read full report
22 March 2024
Guerra Antidrogas das Filipinas Continua Letal Sob Marcos
DW, UOL
“During a recent visit to Germany, he told Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz that, during his term, the anti-drug campaign had ‘completely changed’ to prevention and rehabilitation. However, the numbers of homicides related to this ‘war’ form a very different picture: according to data from the Dahas project, an initiative of the University of the Philippines, drug-related violence remains at the same level as in the previous administration.” Read full report
21 March 2024
Philippines Drug War: What Changed Under President Marcos?
Deutsche Welle, Taiwan News
“In a recent visit to Germany, the Philippine president told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the drug campaign has ‘completely changed’ to prevention and rehabilitation during his tenure. But the numbers on the continuing drug-related killings paint a different picture. Data from the Dahas project, an initiative of the University of the Philippines, show that the drug violence continues at the same level as it was under President Duterte. Dahas recorded 342 drug casualties from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, at an average rate of 0.9 deaths per day, a tad higher than the 0.8 daily average during Duterte’s last year in office.” Read full report
15 March 2024
[Watch] Dahas Project, the Team that Continues to Count Drug War Victims
Jairo Bolledo, Rappler
“Even when he stepped down from power in 2022, the killings continue to persist. To sustain a record of these killings, the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center continued its Dahas Project. Under this project, a small team scours various sources and records drug-related killings.“
14 March 2024
Marcos to Germany: ICC Has No Power to Probe Duterte for Drug Deaths
Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Business World Online
“The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center’s Dahas project had said there were 342 drug-related killings a year into Mr. Marcos’ term, including 115 deaths during police drug raids.” Read full report
14 March 2024
Drug War| Rights Group Refutes Marcos’ Remarks on ‘Changed’ Drug War Policy
Clarist Zaplan, News5
“The killings have continued under the Marcos Jr. administration, with 342 drug-related killings reported during the first year of his term, according to the Dahas project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center (UP TWSC).” Read full report
5 March 2024
‘Left Behind’ Families Look to ICC for Philippines Drug War Justice
Nick Aspinwall, Al Jazeera
“Philippine National Police chief Benjamin Acorda Jr admitted in February that people were still killed in police drug operations after Dahas project data showed there had been 28 drug-related killings in January. . . He insisted the killings were not intentional.” Read full report.
12 February 2024
PNP: PH Crime Rate Drops 27.6% from Jan. 1 to Feb. 10
Christopher Lloyd Caliwan, PNA
“Acorda further reiterated that extrajudicial killings are not part of PNP’s operational doctrine . . . ‘We don’t condone extrajudicial killings and these allegations of Dahas, we welcome them. If they have some facts or circumstances and witnesses that will say otherwise to what was reported to our units on the ground, we welcome them because again as I have said, we want our operations to be aggressive but we want it done honestly and we respect what we call rights of every individual na hinuhuli (who is arrested),’ he said.” Read full report.
12 February 2024
PNP Chief Brushes Off Claims of Extrajudicial Killings Under Marcos Admin
Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo
“Acorda made the statement following the release of data under University of the Philippines Diliman’s ‘Project Dahas,’ which showed that 28 individuals were killed in anti-illegal drug operations in January 2024 . . . It said 14 of which were killed by unidentified assailants while nine were killed by policemen . . . Acorda admitted that there were drug-related killings during police anti-illegal drug operations.” Read full report
9 February 2024
A Brutal Death and Marcos’s Broken Promise of a ‘Bloodless’ Drug Policy
Sean Marcus Ingalla, Philippine Collegian
“In the same month, Congress hailed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ‘bloodless’ drug war campaign. This claim did not align with the numbers: drug-related killings under Marcos’s first year in office surpassed the death toll of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s last year as a president, according to monitoring project Dahas by the UP Third World Studies Center. Bloodshed, as in the case of Chrismel, is still enabled by conditions of continued impunity under Marcos’s drug campaign.” Read full report
25 January 2024
The Hitman, the Bodies, the Prisoners
Cordelia Lynch, Sky News
The killings haven’t stopped though. The Dahas Project out of the University of the Philippines recorded more drug-related killings in the first year of Marcos Jr’s presidency than the final one of Duterte. It does appear the violence has now pushed into the provinces outside of Manila and further south in Davao City. Read full report
4 January 2024
Philippines: Bone Diggers Seek Justice for Dead in Duterte’s Drug War
Linda Pressly, BBC News, Manila
“But the Dahas Project at the University of the Philippines recorded 342 drug-related killings in Mr Marcos’ first year – 40 more than in the last year of Mr Duterte’s rule. And they say around 40% of those killed were small-time users and dealers.” Read full report.
31 December 2023
Philippines Drug War Victims Look to ICC for Justice as Killings Continue Under Marcos Jr
Steve Zhang, ABC News AU
““The assumption would be that because there’s no belligerent rhetoric from Ferdinand Marcos Jr, this will be a less violent presidency. But the numbers do not sustain that particular view,” said Joel Ariate who runs Dahas, a project tracking drug-related killings established by the University of the Philippines Diliman and Ghent University.” Read full report.
7 December 2023
Dangeorus Drugs Act | Philippines Eyes Review of Anti-Drug Law – Justice Official
Clarist Zablan, News5
“At least 6,000 suspected drug offenders were killed in anti-drug operations during the Duterte administration, based on police data. But human rights groups peg the death toll from his drug war policy at as high as 30,000, including vigilante killings. But human rights groups have noted that the killings have continued well into the Marcos Jr. administration. Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center (UP TWSC), tallied at least 342 drug-related killings during Marcos’ first year as president.” Read full report
17 November 2023
As Philippines’ Drug War Rolls On, Christians Continue Their Work
Beng Alba-Jones, Christianity Today
“Since taking office, Marcos has established more than 100 community-based drug rehab centers that provide drug users with temporary shelter and reintegrate them into society. Today there are nearly 500 of these centers, called Balay Silangan Reformation Centers, in the Philippines. However, during the first year of Marcos’s presidency, the number of drug-related killings actually increased from the last year of Duterte’s term, according to a recent report by the Dahas Project at the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center. They counted 342 killings from Marcos’s inauguration in July 2022 until June 2023, 40 more than the previous year. Of that number, state agents killed a total of 146 people.” Read full report
1 November 2023
61 Killed Under Marcos Admin As ‘War Against Illegal Drugs’ Continues in Philippines
Riyaz ul Khaliq, Anadolu Ajansi
“Data from Dahas, a monitoring project run by the University of the Philippines, however, revealed: ‘There were 175 drug-related killings in the country during Marcos’ first few months as President, or between 12 noon of June 30 and December 31, 2022.'” Read full report
1 November 2023
Rodrigo Duterte’s Legacy
Margaret Simons, Inside Story
“It’s true that the number of killings is lower than the peak in 2016–17. But the best available figures, compiled by the Dahas project of the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines, show that deaths, far from easing under Marcos, are more common than in the last years of the Duterte administration. (Dahas acknowledges that its figures are underestimates; they are drawn entirely from the media, which doesn’t report many fatalities.) Read full report
14 October 2023
Navotas Killing Zone: 3rd Young Man Killed in 2 Months in Same Area
Jairo Bolledo, Rappler
“As of October 7, there had been 432 drug-related killings both by law enforcers and unidentified suspects under the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., according to data from Dahas, a research initiative by the University of the Philippines (UP) Third World Studies Center.” Read full report.
14 October 2023
Unearthing the Truth
Jaileen F. Jimeno, Asia Democracy Chronicles
“According to the 2023 Human Rights Watch (HRW) Report, “the unlawful use of force by the police and government agents (has) continued” under the Marcos Jr. government. The report cited data from Dahas, a research program run by the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines.
Dahas reports that as of June 30, 2023, a year into Marcos Jr.’s term, a total of 342 have been killed by state actors in connection with illegal drugs. This is higher than the 302 reported in the last year of the Duterte administration.” Read full report.
11 October 2023
Oral Statement Given During the General Debate on the
Ahmed Adam on behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
“The highly militarised drug war, despite the objective to implement a rights based-approach, continues to claim lives. Independent monitoring group Dahas documented over 250 drug related killings this year alone. At least 45 per cent of these were committed by state agents. There has been no tangible progress towards accountability for the widespread killings.” Read full report
9 October 2023
Filipinos use 20,000 kilos of illegal drugs each year
Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Business World
“Police killed at least 342 suspects in drug raids in the first year of the Marcos government, according to the Dahas project under the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center.” Read full report.
26 September 2023
The Courtroom in Caloocan
Bryan Lau, The Dial
“On July 18, the ICC announced that the Philippine government had lost the appeal. The justice secretary, Crispin Remulla, under President Marcos, who had replaced Duterte in June 2022, denounced the ICC for foreign interference. The drug war continues: 342 people died in drug-related killings during the first year under Marcos, according to the Dahas database maintained by the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines. The president seems unlikely to repudiate the drug war, as long as he remains allied with his predecessor, whose daughter, Sara Z. Duterte, is the current vice president.” Read full report
6 September 2023
Philippines Records Highest Weekly Deaths in ‘War on Drugs’: Monitoring Program
Necva Tastan, Anadolu Ajansi
“The Philippines, during the first week of this month, has recorded the highest number of weekly deaths of the year in the so-called ‘war on drugs,’ a monitoring program has claimed . . . Among the 14 fatalities, ’11 were caused by state agents’ in the northeastern Davao City of the Philippines, the monitoring project Dahas run by the University of the Philippines showed.” Read full report.
3 September 2023
Philippines: ‘The Government is Headed by a Former Dictator’s Son Who Reached Power in a Suspicious Manner’
CIVICUS
“However, while the focus on the drug problem remains, there has been a discursive shift from Duterte’s punitive and violent approach to an anti-drug campaign emphasising prevention and rehabilitation. But this hasn’t translated into an end to extrajudicial killings, which continue unabated in impoverished urban areas that are known to be havens for drug-related activities. Dahas, a research group from the University of the Philippines, reported 342 instances of drug-related killings carried out by state and non-state groups and people during the first year of the new government. The targets of the anti-drug campaign continue to be minor drug users and low-level peddlers. As happened under the previous administration, prominent drug lords remain untouched.” Read full report
8 August 2023
‘We can’t be bribed:’ Families of drug war victims reveal offers to drop cases amid ICC probe
Aie Balagtas See,PCIJ
“As of May 31, 309 have been killed in connection with illegal drugs, according to the Dahas Project of the UP Third World Studies Center, which is keeping tabs on the drug war on Marcos’ watch.” Read full report
24 July 2023
Philippines’ Marcos Says Drug War Has ‘A New Face’
Bangkok Post
“The deadly crackdown has continued under Marcos, the son and namesake of the country’s former dictator, even as he pushed for a greater emphasis on prevention and treatment. More than 350 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office in June 2022, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps a count of such killings.” Read full report
21 July 2023
Philippines Will Not Cooperate with ICC in Drug War Probe: Marcos
AFP, The Straits Times
“More than 350 drug-related killings have been recorded since Mr Marcos took office last June, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of such killings.” Read full report
21 July 2023
Marcos Says Philippines is ‘Done Talking’ with ICC
Agence France Press
“More than 350 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office last June, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of such killings.” Report full report
16 July 2023
Duterte out, Marcos in: What has happened to the country’s campaign against illegal drugs?
Mariel Celine Serquiña, CNN Philippines
“In a June report, the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center logged at least 300 drug-related killings since Marcos became the president.” Read full report
10 July 2023
Hundreds killed in drug war during Marcos’ 1st year
Jodesz Gavilan, Rappler
“Violence continues well into the new administration as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. closes his first year in office with more than 300 deaths allegedly related to the continuing war on drugs. At least 342 drug-related killings were recorded from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, according to the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center.” Read full report
30 June 2023
A year into presidency, Marcos quietly keeps Duterte’s drug war going — rights groups
Cristina Chi, Philstar
“At least 336 drug-related killings have taken place since Marcos became president, most during law enforcement’s anti-drug operations, according to the UP Third World Studies Center, which maintains a running count of drug-related killings based on media reports.” Read full report
29 June 2023
A year of Marcos Jr: how a dictator’s son has changed the Philippines
Rebecca Ratcliffe, The Guardian
“Marcos has avoided overtly condemning the human rights record of the previous administration, though he has said the so-called war on drugs should be more focused on prevention, and that told police to go after bigger players – not ‘the kid who makes 100 pesos ($2) a week selling weed’.
However, the killings, say researchers, are continuing under his government: more than 300 drug-related killings have been recorded since he took office.” Read full report
28 June 2023
Philippines Drugs Crackdown Continues as Marcos Jr. Marks First Anniversary
Chris Fitzgerald, Globe: Lines of Thought Across Southeast Asia
“But despite Marcos Jr.’s highly-publicised promises, 2023 has been no different. The Dahas reporting project tracked 148 drug-related killings between January and 7 June. Last month was the deadliest so far, with 37 killings. Overall, 323 people have died in drug-related circumstances since Marcos Jr. took power . This shows the war on drugs continues unabated, costing more lives.” Read full report
27 June 2023
MORE HUMANE | Hontiveros backs UN experts on call to end violent global war on drugs
Beatrice Puente, News5
“Dahas, an initiative of the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines, has counted 336 drug-related killings under Marcos so far. Duterte’s brutal war on drugs led to the death of around 30,000 people, including those killed by vigilantes.” Read full report
15 June 2023
Rappler Shows How ‘Drug War’ Violence Continues Under Marcos
CMFR Staff, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
“The second part of the report produced a timeline following the statements made by Marcos and other government officials on illegal drugs. Gavilan also examined the data depicting the continuing ‘drug war’ under Marcos, showing up the different numbers published by government agencies and by Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center. ” Read full report
11 June 2023
A mother thinks the worst is over after Duterte. Then her son is killed under Marcos.
Jodesz Gavilan, Rappler
“By the end of August 2022, the month Rolly was killed, there were already at least 74 victims of drug-related killings, including those killed by state agents and unidentified individuals, according to monitoring by Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center. ” Read full report
8 June 2023
What’s the State of Philippine Human Rights Under Marcos?
Cecil Morella, The Japan Times
“More than 300 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office last June, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of drug-related killings. That includes 175 in the first six months of Marcos’s presidency. In November, police acknowledged that 46 drug suspects had been killed since he took office.” Read full report
7 June 2023
What’s the State of Philippine Human Rights Under Marcos?
Cecil Morella, Barron’s
“More than 300 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office last June, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of drug-related killings. That includes 175 in the first six months of Marcos’s presidency. In November, police acknowledged that 46 drug suspects had been killed since he took office.” Read full report
7 June 2023
What’s the State of Philippine Human Rights Under Marcos?
AFP, France 24
“Marcos has continued the crackdown but has pushed for more focus on prevention and rehabilitation. He told police to go after major drug dealers and not ‘the kid who makes 100 pesos ($2) a week selling weed.’ Yet the bodies keep piling up. More than 300 drug-related killings have been recorded since Marcos took office last June, according to figures compiled by Dahas, a University of the Philippines-backed research project that keeps count of drug-related killings.” Read full report
23 May 2023
‘War on drugs’ victims’ kin ‘unanimously’ support ICC investigation
Kaycee Valmonte with Kristine Joy Patag, Philstar
“The UP Third World Studies Center’s latest report showed there have been 294 total reported drug-related killings under Marcos Jr., with 11 recorded just last May 8 to 15. ” Read full report
23 May 2023
Victims, kin ‘strongly urge’ ICC to allow resumption of drug war probe
Jodesz Gavilan, Rappler
“Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines-Diliman Third World Studies Center, monitored at least 294 reported drug-related killings under the Marcos administration, as of May 17, 2023. At least 106 were killed during legitimate government operations between June 30, 2022, to May 7, 2023.” Read full report
14 May 2023
Not losing hope: Mother of drug war victim finds courage in helping other grieving families
Jodesz Gavilan, Rappler
“For most part, Marcos seems to be deviating from Duterte’s approach, wanting to focus more on prevention. He even said during his US trip that Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in ‘abuses by certain elements in the government.’
But killings still continue. Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines-Diliman Third World Studies Center, monitored at least 281 reported drug-related killings under the Marcos administration, as of May 7, 2023. Out of this number, 106 were killed during legitimate government operations.” Read full report
24 April 2023
Marcos to new PNP chief: Be open to scrutiny, exercise maximum tolerance
Jairo Bolledo, Rappler
“Despite Marcos’ ‘slightly different’ war on drugs, the drug-related killings have continued in the country. Dahas, a project of the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, has documented at least 263 reported drug-related killings from July 2022 to April 22, 2023.” Read full report
30 March 2023
Explainer: Can ICC’s Philippines drugs war probe make progress if Manila cuts contact?
Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales
“Police data showed 46 people have been killed during anti-drug operations between June 30, 2022, when Marcos took office, to November, way below the estimate of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center, whose research programme tallied 127 people killed in ‘drug war’ incidents from July 1 to November 7.” Read full report
27 March 2023
Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world’s human rights
Amnesty International
“According to the university-based research group Dahas, 324 drug-related killings by the police and other unknown assailants were recorded during 2022, 175 of which took place after July.” Read full report
23 March 2023
NCCP tells UN about continuing rights violations in the PH
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
“Speaking at the general debates of the ongoing 52nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, NCCP program secretary for Faith, Witness and Service Mervin Sol Toquero reported before the international body that there had been 223 drug-related killings since July 2022, the start of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration. ” Read full report
18 March 2023
EU, Marcos face own crossroads in trade perks renewal as PH impunity persists
Jodesz Gavilan, Rappler
“Dahas, a project by the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, documented at least 223 reported drug-related killings from July 2022 to March 7, 2023 based on news reports. ” Read full report
9 March 2023
On the Philippine Government’s Statements at the UNHRC and the Marcos-Duterte Admin’s Human Rights Coordinating Council
KARAPATAN
“Drug war killings continue, with the University of the Philippine’s Dahas project recording 565 drug-related killings under the current administration. Convictions of police perpetrators during the previous Duterte administration are a drop in the bucket while masterminds such as Duterte and his cohorts remain unscathed—which is why victims’ families have continuously looked to the International Criminal Court for redress.” Read full report
8 March 2023
Cycle of violence recalls dark Duterte legacy
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
“Added to this number is the average of five killed in drug operations per week in the first two months of 2023 based on data provided by Dahas last March 3. Dahas, a project of the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines, has kept a running count of drug war casualties since Duterte launched his “war on drugs.” Read full report
7 March 2023
Marcos’ “War on Drugs” Kills 58 People in 2024
Ang Bayan
“According to its research, ‘drug-related’ killings have increased again since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office. Although number were high during the Duterte regime, the pattern of killings show a downtrend since its 2017 peak under the leadership of Ronald ‘Bato’ de la Rosa. In 2022, for example, Dahas PH recorded 175 murders in the first six months of Marcos (July-December), higher by 26 than the 149 murders in the last six months of the Duterte regime (January-June 2022). In the following year, the number of victims increased further, from 324 in 2022 to 331 for 2023.” Read full report
22 February 2023
Hontiveros to EU MPs: Drug-related killings have not stopped, ICC investigation will not harm domestic efforts
Senate of the Philippines
“According to the UP Third World Studies Center, the 152 drug-related killings under the Marcos, Jr. administration exceeded the 149 recorded killings during the final six months of former President Duterte’s administration. Of the 152 killed since the start of the new admin, 46.7% were committed by state operatives.” Read full report
12 February 2023
International Criminal Court to Pursue Action Against Philippines’ Deadly Drug War
Michelle Bozzi, The Organization for World Peace
“’The war on drugs will continue so long as people are making money from it,’ Joel Ariate Jr., a researcher at the University of the Philippines, told Foreign Policy, expressing cynicism for the ICC’s intervention. ‘What chance is there that this process can lead to justice?'” Read full report
10 February 2023
Rody: Drug war fizzling out
Lade Jean Kabagani, Daily Tribune
“On the other hand, Dahas, a monitoring project affiliated with the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, claimed there were 175 drug-related killings and not 61 during the said period.” Read full report
8 February 2023
Atrocity Alert No. 334: Nigeria, Philippines and Wagner Group
Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect
“Although the majority of deaths took place between 2016-2018, the police and armed vigilantes continue to perpetrate extrajudicial killings of those perceived to be involved in illicit drug activity, including since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in June 2022. The University of the Philippines’ Dahas program, which monitors reported drug-related killings, documented 324 people killed in drug-related incidents during 2022, including 175 in the first six months that President Marcos Jr. was in power.” Read full report
3 February 2023
PNP touts drug war wins, including killings
Dexter Cabalza, Philippine Daily Inquirer
“A study by the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines and the Development Studies of Ghent University in Belgium, however, presents a higher death toll. In the study called ‘Dahas,’ which includes a running count of drug-related killings based on media reports, 19 persons were killed from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, adding to the 324 it tallied last year.” Read full report
1 February 2023
Manila’s countless dead
Margaret Simons, The Monthly
“The Dahas figures tell a different story. They include any deaths where drugs were reported be part of the context as well as those carried out by unknown perpetrators. As one of the project’s publication states: ‘The war sprawls over a whole criminal complex beyond state authorities, and includes various criminal elements with varying intent to harm their victims. Failing to account for these casualties … offers a limited view of how the drug war accumulates its fatalities.'” Read full report
28 January 2023
‘Not welcome,’ Manila says as ICC resumes probe into Philippines’ ‘war on drugs’
Riyaz ul Khaliq, Anadolu Agency
“But data from Dahas, a monitoring project run by the University of the Philippines, revealed: ‘There were 175 drug-related killings in the country during Marcos’ first few months as President, or between 12 noon of June 30 and December 31, 2022.'” Read full report
27 January 2023
ICC to resume investigation into Philippines’s deadly drug war
Al Jazeera
“Dahas, which keeps track of reported drug-related killings, said earlier this month that 324 people had died in the drug war in 2022, including 175 in the first six months that Marcos Jr was in power.” Read full report
26 January 2023
Hundreds of Philippine police are filing their resignations. Why?
Mark Saludes, The Christian Science Monitor
“Dahas, a monitoring project by the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, counted 175 drug-related killings from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 – higher than the death toll during Mr. Duterte’s last six months in office.” Read full report
13 January 2023
Conflicting statistics
Manila Standard
“Dahas says there were 175 drug-related killings during the same period. This brings the total drug-related death toll to 324 in 2022 – a year that covered the last six months of the Duterte administration and the start of the Marcos administration.” Read full report
11 January 2023
The Philippines Is Losing Its ‘War on Drugs’
Margaret Simons, Foreign Policy
“In December 2022, Dahas, a research and advocacy project, reported that there had been 152 drug-related killings in the first five months of Bongbong’s regime. This surpassed the 149 killings in the last six months of Duterte’s reign.” Read full report
10 January 2023
Philippine police say 61 killed under Marcos admin’s campaign against illegal drugs in 2022
The Star
“But according to Dahas, a monitoring project run by the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Centre, there were 175 drug-related killings in the country during Marcos’ first few months as President, or between 12 noon of June 30 and Dec 31, 2022.
This, Dahas noted, brings the total drug-related death toll to 324 in 2022 – a year that saw both the tail-end of the Duterte administration and the start of the Marcos administration.“ Read full report
6 January 2023
The Filipino War on Drugs Killed Thousands. Now the Government Is Blaming Corrupt Police
Chad De Guzman, Time
“Dahas, a monitoring initiative from the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, reports even higher figures: recording 161 killings from June 30 to Dec. 7, 2022.” Read full report
6 January 2023
No sign Philippines drug war will end, despite promises from Marcos Jr.
Chris Fitzgerald, Globe
“The University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center’s Dahas program, which monitors the war on drugs, recently estimated that 127 people have been killed between 1 July, when Marcos Jr began his term, and 7 November.
This is far larger than the Philippine police estimate of 46 people killed during anti-drug operations during this period.” Read full report
20 December 2022
PNP assures public ‘Oplan Tokhang’ won’t be abused if revived
Jean Mangaluz, Philippine Daily Inquirer
“The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center said 127 people were killed in the government’s anti-drug campaign from July 1 to November 7, but PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the tally was only 46 – which was ‘very minimal.’“ Read full report
18 December 2022
Groups Slam BBM-Sara Admin’s Human Rights Record
Davao Today
“In the first five months or from July 1 to November 30 of the current administration, data from the Dahas Project showed 152 drug-related killings. The number exceeded the 149 cases recorded during the final six months or from January 1 to June 30 this year of former president Rodrigo Duterte.” Read full report
15 December 2022
IN NUMBERS: People we lost under Marcos in 2022
Jairo Bolledo, Rappler
“However, the PNP’s number is more conservative compared to the 161 deaths Dahas has recorded from June 30 up to December 7. Dahas is run by University of the Philippines Diliman’s Third World Studies Center, which bases its data on reports about drug killings from various news outlets.“ Read full report
12 December 2022
Protestant Churches decry ‘state of brokenness’ of Philippines’ rights situation
Jose Torres Jr., LiCAS.news
“Citing a study done by the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center, the NCCP said there have been 127 deaths connected with the ‘war on drugs’ from July 1 to November 7 this year, mostly attributed to state security forces.“ Read full report
10 December 2022
On Human Rights Day, Rights Group Assails Zero Justice for Killings, Rights Violantions under Marcos Jr.
Jonas Alpasan, Bulatlat
“The Third World Studies Center’s Dahas project has also documented at least 150 drug-related killings in the first five months of the Marcos Jr. administration. ‘Despite these sordid figures, there has been zero justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings. The culture of impunity continues to rear its ugly head,’ said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.” Read full report
5 December 2022
Philippines: Events of 2022
Human Rights Watch
“Soon after taking office on June 30, President Marcos stated he would continue the “war against drugs” initiated by his predecessor. While Marcos claimed his administration would do a “slightly different” anti-drug campaign by focusing on the rehabilitation of drug users, the unlawful use of force by the police and government agents continued. Monitoring by Dahas, a program run by the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines, found that at least 90 people had been killed in what the center termed “drug-related violence” in the period since Marcos’ inauguration and September 30.” Read full report
21 November 2022
PNP on drug war deaths: We have no history of underreporting
Daniza Fernandez, Philippine Daily Inquirer
“International group Human Rights Watch (HRW) earlier claimed that the PNP is underreporting the number of drug war deaths. Citing data from the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center, the HRW said that there were 127 drug war deaths, higher than the police’s record of 46.“ Read full report
17 November 2022
The world is watching
Panay News
“As documented by the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center, there have been 127 deaths connected with the drug war from July 1 to Nov. 7 this year, mostly by state security forces.“ Read full report
17 November 2022
Philippines Undercounts Recent ‘Drug War’ Deaths
Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch
“The police reported that 46 people were killed during anti-drug operations since Marcos took office on June 30. But this is far below the estimate of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center, whose Dahas program monitors ‘drug war’ violence. The program tallied that 127 people were killed in ‘drug war’ incidents from July 1, the day after Marcos was sworn in, to November 7.“ Read full report
16 November 2022
PNP: 46 Killed in Drug War Under Marcos ‘Very Minimal’
Dexter Cabalza, Philippine Daily Inquirer
“The 46 reported by Azurin and the 57 recorded by Dahas show a sharp drop from the more than 1,600 reported deaths of suspected drug offenders—users and dealers— killed in police operations in less than four months since Mr. Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, took office on June 30, 2016.” Read full report.
14 November 2022
PNP chief: 46 killed in ‘war on drugs’ operations under Marcos
Franco Luna, Philstar
“The number of deaths acknowledged by the PNP is much lower than that monitored by Dahas PH, a running count of reported drug-related killings by the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines, which documented 127 drug suspects killed between July 1 and November 7.“ Read full report
19 October 2022
War on drugs continues in Marcos’s Philippines
Federico Segarra, La Prensa Latina
“The Dahas Project, which has been scrutinizing the drug war since 2017 based on local media reports, admits that in this new stage “there is no way of knowing” if the deaths occur in conditions similar to those of Duterte’s brutal campaign.” Read full report
18 October 2022
Kin of EJK victims hit Remulla son’s ‘special treatment’
Krixia Subingsubing, Inquirer.net
“Drug-related killings also occur under the administration of President Marcos, according to Dahas, a program of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center. It said police and media reports showed more drug-related killings—in which the victim had alleged links to the illicit drug trade — in July, the first month of the Marcos presidency, than in June, the last month of the Duterte administration.
Altogether, 72 drug-related killings were recorded in July and August this year, Dahas said.” Read full report
September 2022
“War on Drugs” Continues Under Marcos (Philippines Country Profile)
Global State of Democracy Initiative
“Drug-related killings continue to occur regularly under President Bongbong Marcos, says Human Rights Watch in a policy brief to UN member states. According to the monitoring of Dahas, a program affiliated with the University of the Philippines, 72 drug-related killings have been reported since Marcos took office on 30 June.” Read full report.
28 September 2022
ICC finds no basis on PH govt’s arguments, reiterates probe on drug-related killings
Anne Marxze D. Umil, Bulatlat
“The Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines-Diliman claims that the running count on reported drug-related killings in the Philippines continues.” Read full report
25 September 2022
Get drug lords, not small fry, says Marcos
Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Inquirer.net
“Data from the independent monitor Dahas PH, whose members are mostly from the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Programme, have shown that Duterte’s drug war consistently targeted small-time pushers, failing in its promise to bring down so-called high-value targets.” Read full report
24 September 2022
HRW disputes PNP’s ”bloodless’ antidrug efforts this month
Dempsey Reyes, Inquirer.net
“Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy Asia director, stressed that data by the monitoring group Dahas PH, of which most members come from the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Program, showed “inaccuracy” on the ‘zero’ killings as touted by the Philippine National Police.
From the data of Dahas PH’s researchers, there were two deaths recorded this month, while 73 in July and August—the first two months of President Marcos in office.” Read full report
21 September 2022
PNP claims bloodless anti-drug operations in September
Dexter Cabalza, Inquirer.net
“No casualties were reported in all these operations,” he told reporters at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
However, at least two persons were reported killed after shooting it out with the police, based on the monitoring of Dahas, a research project of the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Department of Conflict and Development Studies of Ghent University in Belgium.” Read full report
19 September 2022
Uccisioni illegali nelle Filippine: necessaria un’indagine delle Nazioni Unite
Dexter Cabalza, Inquirer.net
“In un documento politico presentato agli Stati membri delle Nazioni Unite, la Human Rights Watch ha affermato che le uccisioni extragiudiziali nella “guerra alla droga” del governo filippino si verificano ancora regolarmente. Dahas (un programma del Centro Studi sul Terzo Mondo dell’Università delle Filippine) ha riportato 72 omicidi legati alla droga dopo che il presidente Ferdinand Marcos Jr. è entrato in carica il 30 giugno. I dati ufficiali del governo indicano che la polizia ha ucciso 71 persone dall’agosto 2021, portando a 6.252 il numero totale di omicidi denunciati dalla polizia tra luglio 2016 e maggio 2022. Il presidente Marcos non ha ripudiato gli abusi nella “guerra alla droga”, dichiarando di voler mantenere la linea adottata.” Read full report
12 September 2022
UN Still Needs to Scrutinize the Philippines
Carlos H. Conde, Inquirer.net, Human Rights Watch
“Drug-related killings remain commonplace. Dahas, a program of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center, found by looking at police and media reports that there were more drug-related killings—in which the victim had alleged links to the illicit drug trade—in July, the first month of the Marcos Jr. presidency, than in June, the last month of the Duterte administration. Altogether, 72 drug-related killings were recorded in July and August.” Read full report.
12 September 2022
Watchdog Group Urges UN to Scrutinize Philippine Drug-related Killings Under Marcos
Camille Elemia, Benar News
“Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office on June 30, 72 drug-related shootings by police have occurred in the Philippines, New York-based HRW said, citing Dahas, a program of the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines that tracks media-reported drug deaths.” Read full report
12 September 2022
Philippines: Strong UN Human Rights Council Action Needed
Human Rights Watch
“In a policy paper submitted to UN member states, Human Rights Watch said that extrajudicial killings in the Philippine government’s ‘war on drugs’ still occur on a regular basis. Dahas, a program of the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines, has reported 72 drug-related killings after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office on June 30. Official government figures indicate that the police killed 71 people since August 2021, bringing the total number of killings reported by the police between July 2016 and May 2022 to 6,252. President Marcos has not repudiated abuses in the ‘drug war,’ which he said he would continue.” Read full report
31 August 2022
Crime wave?
Manuel L. Quezon III, Inquirer.net
“The UP Third World Studies Center has a Twitter account, @DahasPH, which has been consistently keeping tabs on the killings. Its most recent figures add up as follows: in 2022, there have been 200 drug-related killings, 51 of them since the present administration began (this includes 13 “body dumps”). Reviewing the weekly count, the killings ranged in low single digits except for the week of the President’s first Sona, when 14 were killed, numbers hardly different from Duterte’s last month in office.” Read full report
16 August 2022
Lawmakers, enforcers want ‘community-based’ campaign vs drugs
Franco Luna, Philstar
“However, according to Dahas, a running count of the reported drug-related killings in the Philippines maintained by the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, the killings continue to this day, over a month after Duterte stepped down from public office.” Read full report
23 July 2021
Duterte Drug War Has Killed 2 Per Day, Says UP Study
Krixia Subingsubing, Inquirer.net
“The police have arbitrary ways of determining drug war deaths, which could obscure the real count,” Ariate pointed out. “It’s important to have a debate about this and make public these data so not all deaths can be simplified into ‘nanlaban’ (resisting arrest) . . . As such, the “Dahas” database—“dahas” is the Filipino word for violence—uses at least 27 criteria to assess each death: information on the victim (age, gender, occupation), incident (time, date, location) and assailants (state agent, nonstate agent, unknown), said Noriega. Read full report