0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains some strong language
0:00:05 > 0:00:09This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing
0:00:09 > 0:00:13We've had a tip that there's been a killing, so we're heading to the scene now.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16OK, so all the journalists are running over this way,
0:00:16 > 0:00:17so we'll follow them.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The body is just in front of the car there. It's very close.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28His hands are tied behind his back.
0:00:28 > 0:00:34They've got the...crime-scene people are working the scene already.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'I've come to the Philippines in Southeast Asia to investigate
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'the world's bloodiest war on drugs.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46'I've joined a night shift with some local journalists
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'in the capital, Manila.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:52How many bodies like this do you see on a typical night?
0:00:52 > 0:00:56- Our minimum for a night is ten. - Ten a night?- Ten a night.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00- So our largest number is 22, all around Metro Manila.- 22?- Yeah.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02All around Metro Manila.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08His wallet's been completely emptied.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Inside was a note that said,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13"Sorry, I destroyed my life because of drugs.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17"Sorry, I am a pusher." And he's got a single shot to his head.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'We receive a tip-off about another killing
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'and rush with the press pack to get to the scene.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32'But before we reach there, news comes in of another execution.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35'And then another.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It's madness. The journalists just can't cope with the numbers.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43They're zigzagging all across the city trying to find these killings.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I'm told we're up to killing number four now
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and no-one's even had time to cover two or three.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02'This time it's a homeless drug user who's been shot dead.'
0:02:02 > 0:02:05As you can see, it's a really busy street.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07We've tried talking to some of the people on the street
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and nobody is willing to talk on camera,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15there's a real feeling of fear about these killings.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32'In the past eight months,
0:02:32 > 0:02:37'over 7,000 people have been killed in the Philippines.'
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'Patricia is an investigative journalist
0:02:54 > 0:02:57'who has been covering the wave of violence.'
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Pat, can you tell me a bit about what's been going on
0:03:00 > 0:03:02over the last few months?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06President Rodrigo Duterte was elected as president.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08He ran on a platform against crime,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10against drugs and against corruption.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14He promised that, within six months, all of that would be gone.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17He also promised it would be bloody. And it has been.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Is this normal to the Philippines? Have you seen this before?
0:03:20 > 0:03:26Sure, we have crime. Er, but not every night, not in these numbers.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29We don't expect our politicians to keep their promises.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32This is one time that a promise was kept.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50HE MAKES GRUESOME NOISE
0:03:50 > 0:03:51CROWD ROARS
0:03:56 > 0:04:00'Rodrigo Duterte swept to power in the Philippines last June,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'after vowing to kill anyone involved in drugs.'
0:04:10 > 0:04:15'He campaigned as the hard-man mayor who cleaned up his city of crime,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'earning the nickname Duterte Harry.'
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Duterte! Duterte!
0:04:24 > 0:04:30'Duterte's brash, bold and blunt, driving crowds wild like
0:04:30 > 0:04:32'no politician before him.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'He won the election in a landslide.'
0:04:47 > 0:04:51'The wave of executions began as soon as Duterte took office.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58'A local newspaper keeps a list of people killed.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:02What is...is shocking to see is that, actually,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07so many of these were on the police drug watchlist,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10so these are all people that are known to police.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16The majority in front of me are killed by unknown hitmen,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20or killed in police operations,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22and there's absolutely thousands of them.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24You can just keep scrolling -
0:05:24 > 0:05:26just name after name after name,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28killed, killed, killed,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30all for this war on drugs.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49'According to police statistics, a staggering 2,500 drug pushers
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'have been killed during police operations.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'I want to see first-hand how the police work,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01'so I join them on one of their drug busts.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So, apparently, someone from the market put in a phone call and said,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09"We're sick of the drug users around here. Can you come and have a look?"
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And so that's why this operation's happening.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'The team split into groups and spreads out.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30'The police are looking for shabu, the local name for crystal meth,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32'a wildly popular drug here.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:36HE KNOCKS AT DOOR
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'They tear the home of one suspect upside down
0:06:51 > 0:06:54'and find evidence of drug use in the hallway.'
0:06:56 > 0:06:59So, the scales are for weighing drugs?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00So, distributing drugs?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04And...and the pipe?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10'Another arrest is made -
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'undercover operatives catch a man in the act of selling shabu.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20'They call these kind of operations "buy-bust".'
0:07:23 > 0:07:24Are buy-busts very dangerous?
0:07:33 > 0:07:35'In the flat upstairs,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40'an informant identifies one tenant as a drug pusher,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'and I get a taste of the police's hardline approach.'
0:08:05 > 0:08:06OK.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, for the police, this has been a very successful day.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20This suspect, who's in handcuffs now, is their 15th arrest.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30'At the station, those arrested are tested for drugs.'
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- Is it negative?- Positive.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Positive? Have they all been positive?
0:08:43 > 0:08:48'Those who test positive are added to the drugs watchlist,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52'a long list of everyone believed to use or sell drugs.'
0:08:54 > 0:08:56So, this was the male holding cell,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and you've got all the recent arrests in here.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03How many of you are in here for drugs charges?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:09:12 > 0:09:15'The police allow us to film the whole mission,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18'and I don't witness any killings or violence...
0:09:23 > 0:09:26'..but, back out on the streets, it's not long before I run into
0:09:26 > 0:09:29'the aftermath of another police operation.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:32OK, so we've found the crime scene,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and I think it's under this bridge here.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48'There are multiple dead bodies, riddled with bullets.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:55The police have gone undercover and posed as buyers.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Quite often, the suspects end up dead -
0:09:57 > 0:10:00like, at this one, you've got three dead bodies.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05'I speak to the police officer in charge.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:08What went wrong? What happened?
0:10:08 > 0:10:13My policemen retaliated, because the suspects shoot back...
0:10:13 > 0:10:15shoot at the police officers,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18sensing that they are, already, police officers.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21All three of them shot back?
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Three of them.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23All of them had guns?
0:10:23 > 0:10:24Yes.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36'The police almost always say that they have acted in self-defence
0:10:36 > 0:10:41'against drug dealers, but I want to investigate claims
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'that many of those killed have been set up by the police.'
0:10:59 > 0:11:01This is the mother of a victim,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and she's going to tell me what happened to her son.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11This is where...the place where my son was killed...
0:11:11 > 0:11:13He was lying here,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- then the policeman came in.- Mm-hm?
0:11:16 > 0:11:21He blocked the door, then killed my son.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25'Christina says she wasn't here when her son was killed,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'but neighbours told her what happened.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32'The police claim it was Henry who fired first
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'when they came to arrest him.'
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I said, "This is not true.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40"He has no gun.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42"He has no gun."
0:11:42 > 0:11:46They just placed it on his hand, I thought.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48I think that's what they did.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51So they did find a gun here, but you think they placed it here?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Yeah. They placed it on his hand.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Why would they do that, though?
0:11:56 > 0:12:00So that they have a reason to kill my son.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Did the neighbours hear anything?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06IN OWN LANGUAGE:
0:12:16 > 0:12:18That's terrible.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22I'm sorry I'm making you go over this.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Oh, dear.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Oh, Christina, let me give you a cuddle.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Oh...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I'm so sorry.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Henry's mum even admitted to me that,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46yes, he is guilty to a certain extent -
0:12:46 > 0:12:47he is involved in drugs -
0:12:47 > 0:12:50but, still, that doesn't justify him being killed,
0:12:50 > 0:12:51and yet this is just one case,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and there are thousands of these in this country.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It just... It's not right.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34ENGINE PURRS
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Hello.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'I want to know why dealers continue to sell
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'in a terrifying climate like this.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47'Most are too frightened to talk,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'but we managed to track down someone who agrees.'
0:13:50 > 0:13:52GUN CLICKS
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I'm on my way to meet with a drug dealer,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58so I'm about to meet the person who's doing
0:13:58 > 0:14:01the most dangerous job in all of Manila.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Do you think the authorities know that you are a drug pusher?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16IN OWN LANGUAGE:
0:14:35 > 0:14:38'The dealer shows me her merchandise.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44'She sells each of these packets of shabu for just £4.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Just for having - cos, to me, this looks like a small amount -
0:14:47 > 0:14:49for that, could you be killed?
0:14:54 > 0:15:00How do you still manage to sell drugs in this environment?
0:15:19 > 0:15:22'She tells me the authorities have already searched her home
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'but didn't find her stash, luckily for her.'
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Never in my whole career have I met with a drug dealer who was
0:15:53 > 0:15:59so on edge and terrified for their life.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00And her eyes were moving around.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Any noise she heard she was on alert, she was listening,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and I can completely understand why.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18When the killings started, drug users and pushers were given
0:16:18 > 0:16:22an ultimatum by the authorities - surrender or die.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31According to the police, over one million people surrendered,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33pledging never to touch drugs again.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Thousands were sent to rehab.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Hello.- Hi.- What is it here?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52But as those facilities overran,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56many have been ordered to undergo a less conventional treatment.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's Zumba to get clean.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I've never in my life come across anything like this before.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05I think also they have to come.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08If they don't come, they're breaching their conditions of
0:17:08 > 0:17:10the agreement they've made in surrendering.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Meredith says she was addicted to shabu for 25 years.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25I want to know how Duterte's war on drugs has affected her.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Your house!- Yes.- Yes.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- How many of you live here? - Ten.- Ten?- Yeah.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38That's a lot of you.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42'Meredith surrendered six months ago.'
0:18:15 > 0:18:17'She says it was Duterte's war on drugs
0:18:17 > 0:18:19'that finally persuaded her to quit.'
0:18:21 > 0:18:24So, do you think the war on drugs is a good thing?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31I've heard of so many people being killed for the war on drugs.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32What do you think of that?
0:18:47 > 0:18:51'Meredith shows me what her street used to be like before Duterte.'
0:19:02 > 0:19:05And so, how has the area changed since then?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The thing that struck me the most was that she was addicted
0:19:16 > 0:19:20for 25 years and nothing could talk her out of taking her drugs,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22not even her children,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25but then the war on drugs came along and she's cleaned up,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28she's managed to stay off drugs because he's also pushed
0:19:28 > 0:19:30all the dealers out of the area.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And so I can totally understand why, from her point of view,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37someone like Duterte actually does hold appeal.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Duterte's apparent success in tackling drug use
0:19:44 > 0:19:47has gone down well with most Filipinos.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52But the longer I'm here, the more it becomes clear who is bearing
0:19:52 > 0:19:55the brunt of all this violence.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The thing is that every single one of these victims that
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I've been told about their cases, they're the poorest,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03they're the lowest of the low.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So it don't feel like this is a war on drugs.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08They're not targeting the big guy, they're shooting fish in a barrel.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11These are the little boys and they're easy targets,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and they're the ones getting shot.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I think, yeah, we're here.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39'On another night shift, we find the first body of the evening.'
0:20:40 > 0:20:44So, it's a really disturbing scene. We're on a really busy bridge.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46There's traffic just going past.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49There's not even police tape set up yet, it's that recent.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51And the poor soul's just lying there.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55'There are multiple gunshot wounds on the body.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58'It's another execution.'
0:20:59 > 0:21:03So, literally been here, like, four or five minutes and the body
0:21:03 > 0:21:04has been cleared away,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07they're just finishing off and packing away
0:21:07 > 0:21:09and they're getting ready for the next one.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17'We don't have to wait long.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'As we head back, near a slum, there's a second body.'
0:21:23 > 0:21:26So, it looks like the body of a girl.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28She's obviously been shot.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30She looks young.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- Two under the bridge? - Two bodies, one body...
0:21:36 > 0:21:40'A local resident shows me how many bodies have turned up
0:21:40 > 0:21:42'just in this underpass.'
0:21:44 > 0:21:46So, how many in total?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50And in how many months were there ten bodies?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56That's more than one body a month.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- Yeah.- That's a lot of bodies.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13The next morning, I follow the dead body of the young woman.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25So, this is the funeral home.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27They've got a contract with the police
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and you can see how busy they are.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32They're busy here, there's a gentleman over there
0:22:32 > 0:22:36who's cleaning a stretcher, and it looks like blood he's cleaning off.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And then I think they're body bags you've got hanging up here.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'Staff tell me the number of bodies they receive
0:22:46 > 0:22:49'has doubled since Duterte's war began.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Sounds bad to say, but it's good business for you to be
0:22:56 > 0:23:00accredited with the police and be going straight to the crime scenes.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22'Relatives of the young girl arrive to collect the body.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27'They will only talk to me off camera.'
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I've spoken to a family member and he said a witness
0:23:30 > 0:23:33has come forward and spoken to them and said the police picked up
0:23:33 > 0:23:35the girl just before she was shot.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Now, that does imply the police may be involved in the killing.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It's something we can't confirm.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I said to him, "Are you going to try and launch an investigation
0:23:43 > 0:23:46"or are you going to press charges?" And he said, "No."
0:23:46 > 0:23:48He said, "If the police are behind her killing,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50"what is the point in going to the police?"
0:23:58 > 0:24:01'The role of the police in the killings is denying many
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'bereaved families any hope of justice.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08'But they do have one option.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12This morning I've come to the Commission On Human Rights
0:24:12 > 0:24:15as I've heard that this is the organisation that
0:24:15 > 0:24:18desperate families come to looking for help.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And today I'm heading out with their investigation team.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25'Jun runs a special unit
0:24:25 > 0:24:29'which investigates extrajudicial killings.'
0:24:29 > 0:24:31So, you think it'll be a long day?
0:24:33 > 0:24:34- Only two.- OK.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Do you find people are reluctant to talk?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Why do you think they are so scared of the police?
0:25:01 > 0:25:03So, we're heading into the home, apparently,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05where the shooting happened.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24There's traces of blood still there.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28The victim was 34.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31He was shot four times by the police.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34A sign was left next to his body.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38It warned, "Drug pusher and addict. Don't follow."
0:25:54 > 0:25:59The police claim the victim was selling drugs to undercover cops.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01According to their report,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05he fired his gun first after realising they were police.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Back at the office, Jun examines the official autopsy report.
0:26:47 > 0:26:54The victim had four gunshot wounds and yet the police say they...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56He tried to fire back at them.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59But there's no trace of him firing back. Is that right?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And you have other cases where it's similar like this?
0:27:10 > 0:27:11I see.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14But why, though?
0:27:29 > 0:27:30So he needs another six months.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34But then, what happens after that six months?
0:27:39 > 0:27:40Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51One reason Duterte can carry on his brutal campaign
0:27:51 > 0:27:54is because he's incredibly popular.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07The more outrageous his remarks,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10the more the public seem to love him.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Over 80% of Filipinos support Duterte.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17He's achieved cult status.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28There's a group in the Philippines that are so popular
0:28:28 > 0:28:32called the Mocha Girls, and they're performing here tonight.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I've also heard that they're really big Duterte fans,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38so I'm hoping to have a little chat with them after they perform.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Their show is pretty raunchy.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54They're like the Filipino version of The Pussycat Dolls.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Audience participation is encouraged.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01CHEERING
0:29:03 > 0:29:05And the boys are well up for it.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Along with the fun comes a heavy dose of politics.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29I see many in the audience raise their fist
0:29:29 > 0:29:30with the Duterte salute.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49'Backstage, I catch up with the band's leader, Mocha.'
0:29:49 > 0:29:50Hi, I'm Livvy.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for having us.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54Thanks for coming today.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59You're clearly a very strong supporter.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Can you explain to me, or summarise, how much of a supporter you are?
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Just like President Duterte,
0:30:07 > 0:30:11he said that he is willing to risk his life,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13honour and presidency...
0:30:15 > 0:30:17..to serve this country,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20to serve the ordinary Filipino people.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22And I can say the same.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26In fact, it's not just me, it's all his supporters,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29because it's now or never.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31And he is our last chance.
0:30:31 > 0:30:32As you know, around the world,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36people have been highly critical of the war on drugs campaign,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40especially because there have been thousands of deaths.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43What do you think about the extrajudicial killings?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47It depends on the definition of EJK, because now,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51whenever someone dies, they blame it on the President.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58It's as simple as this - before Duterte became President,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01it's the law-abiding citizens that are afraid to walk
0:31:01 > 0:31:04in the streets, to go out in the streets.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07But now that Duterte became the President,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10it's the criminals who are afraid to go out on the streets.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12So I think that's a very good thing.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Duterte's government wants to show everyone
0:31:27 > 0:31:29they're winning the war on drugs.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Today, the drug enforcement agency is destroying
0:31:37 > 0:31:39the seizures from three raids.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43So, this is the other side of the war on drugs.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45One side I've seen out on the streets
0:31:45 > 0:31:48and this side is the PR campaign.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51They invite all the media to come and watch.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54This is about getting the public on side.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03'The meth lab chemicals and equipment getting destroyed
0:32:03 > 0:32:06'are worth a total of £50,000.'
0:32:08 > 0:32:11So, no-one can deny that this is an impressive haul
0:32:11 > 0:32:14of sophisticated meth production.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18But if this is the second destruction like this
0:32:18 > 0:32:21in the space of six months,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24I wonder how big the drug problem really is.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36'Some people believe Duterte has massively exaggerated
0:32:36 > 0:32:38'the drugs problem in the Philippines.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50'One of Duterte's fiercest critics is Senator Antonio Trillanes.'
0:32:51 > 0:32:57The Philippines actually has a lower percentage
0:32:57 > 0:33:03than the global average, in terms of drug users for the whole population.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06The global average is 5%,
0:33:06 > 0:33:11the national average is 2%, so it's way lower.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16But he needed to magnify it so that he can justify
0:33:16 > 0:33:19this deadly war on drugs.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24'He tells me about the first time he met Duterte.'
0:33:24 > 0:33:31He was basically bragging about this person who was kneeling down.
0:33:31 > 0:33:37He shot him in the head, a mafia-style execution,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39and he was proud about it.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41He was bragging about it.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And I was afraid for my country, that...
0:33:46 > 0:33:50..he's such a monster, he's a psycho.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Duterte hasn't only encouraged police
0:33:58 > 0:34:00to carry out extrajudicial killings.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Since he took power,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22over 4,000 executions have been committed by vigilantes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30I'm feeling nervous. We're on our way to meet a vigilante killer.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33This is one of the guys who's actually hired to go out
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and kill users, pushers, and he's finally agreed to meet with us,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38so we're heading there right now.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48The vigilante speaks to me on condition of anonymity.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55- Hello.- Hello.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Why is Duterte so popular?
0:35:15 > 0:35:18What do you do to help battle the drugs war?
0:35:22 > 0:35:23Why?
0:35:28 > 0:35:29How do you go about that?
0:35:35 > 0:35:39'He says he belongs to a network of vigilantes who work together
0:35:39 > 0:35:43'and kill drug dealers by breaking into their homes.'
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Uh-huh.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51- In the back of my head? - Yes. Back of the head.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54See, this is making me nervous, you just showing me.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55HE LAUGHS
0:35:57 > 0:35:59'He says that, in the last few months,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03'they've executed 12 drug pushers.'
0:36:03 > 0:36:06A lot of people watching this might think that drug dealers
0:36:06 > 0:36:09should be arrested, sent to prison and it's dealt with,
0:36:09 > 0:36:14and that killing drug dealers is wrong.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16What would you say to them?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Do the police know what you do?
0:36:44 > 0:36:46'He says it's the police who provide
0:36:46 > 0:36:49'the names of people to be eliminated.'
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Do you speak directly to the police?
0:36:58 > 0:36:59But what do they say?
0:37:04 > 0:37:07And how do you feel just after a killing?
0:37:27 > 0:37:31What's kind of unbelievable is the police want people from
0:37:31 > 0:37:34the communities to carry out the dirty work.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40And they're almost recruiting people, whoever they may be,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43within the slums, you can then target and kill these people.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47So the police not only have lost control, but now they are
0:37:47 > 0:37:51handing control to people who are willing to go out and kill for them.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53It's insane.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Most of the dead in this war have been killed after being added
0:38:17 > 0:38:18to the police's watchlist.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24'To find out how this list is put together,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27'I join an operation known as Tokhang -
0:38:27 > 0:38:28'knock and surrender.'
0:38:31 > 0:38:34So, they've got a list of names and they're literally going
0:38:34 > 0:38:36house to house, neighbour to neighbour,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38people in the street - everyone is being checked.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47'The police work together with local volunteers who come up with names,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49'often based on rumours.'
0:38:51 > 0:38:55So, you work very closely with the community and listen for what
0:38:55 > 0:38:57people are saying about each other.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Do you hear rumours and...?
0:39:11 > 0:39:15'The homes of former drug users are prime targets.'
0:39:29 > 0:39:30Six months.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37'People are tested for drugs in their own kitchens.'
0:39:37 > 0:39:41- Were they positive or negative? - Negative. All negative.
0:39:43 > 0:39:44Clean! Give me a high five.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Yes, mate!
0:39:56 > 0:39:59'Back on the street, a local man is stopped.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02'Someone has named him as a drug user.'
0:40:07 > 0:40:09He looks quite angry about it.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16'The police and volunteers escort him back to his shop.'
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I think here you're guilty until you prove yourself innocent
0:40:35 > 0:40:36when it comes to drugs.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44'I'm terrified about what could happen to him if he tests positive.'
0:41:09 > 0:41:12The suspect, who's just proven he's clean, is furious.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15He's saying it's a breach of his human rights, he has a right
0:41:15 > 0:41:19to know who's snitched on him and said that he's a drug user.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23How does this make you feel, being forced to do a drug test?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Oh...
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Oh, dude.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Oh, man, come on.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04This is really starting to feel like a witch-hunt.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07It feels like it's neighbour on neighbour, and people are
0:42:07 > 0:42:12still worried, and in this climate, if you don't like someone, you
0:42:12 > 0:42:16can take advantage of that and you can get them into serious trouble.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28There are many stories of people exploiting this drugs war
0:42:28 > 0:42:30to frame their enemies.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Even when they're innocent of any crime.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40I travel north of Manila to meet a family who lost their son
0:42:40 > 0:42:42only a few months earlier.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- Hello, I'm Livvy.- Hello. Come in.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50- Thank you.- Welcome, welcome. - Thank you.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54- Ah, so...- Yeah, this is my son, Yanis.- This is Yanis?
0:42:54 > 0:42:56He was a victim.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01It is now just a picture.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07'Alfredo's son Yanis was 20 when he was killed.'
0:43:07 > 0:43:08These are his...
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- These are his things. - Ah, it's all his stuff.- Yeah.- Wow.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- So he liked basketball?- Yeah.
0:43:17 > 0:43:18- He's a tall guy.- Yeah.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24- Now it's lonely.- Yeah. - Lonely.- Very.- Yeah.
0:43:26 > 0:43:33- This is the last time, when...when he came home, quite drunk...- Oh, no.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- ..and he lost his key. - Oh, no. Did he...?
0:43:36 > 0:43:40He get mad and hit the door!
0:43:40 > 0:43:46And he forced this thing, knob, to open.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51When he woke up in the morning,
0:43:51 > 0:43:56he told his mother that he will replace the door.
0:43:56 > 0:44:02- Ah, so he owes you a door, yeah? - Yeah. After two or three days...
0:44:03 > 0:44:05..it happened.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06He was killed.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16'Yanis's family say he was killed because a local man held
0:44:16 > 0:44:18'a grudge against him.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22'He was shot dead by two men on a motorbike.
0:44:22 > 0:44:28'The same way many anti-drug vigilantes execute their victims.'
0:44:28 > 0:44:31Everybody knows he don't like drugs.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36Especially people using drugs, he hates that very much.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41- He even voted President Duterte. - He did, he voted Duterte?- Yes.- Yes.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Yes, we all did. Support him all the way.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47The people who murdered Yanis
0:44:47 > 0:44:52wanted to make it look like it was just another killing
0:44:52 > 0:44:53in the war on drugs?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Precisely.
0:44:55 > 0:45:02Because killing now is allowed. It's allowed here.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07'As we were talking, Yanis's friend arrives.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10'He was sitting next to him the night of the murder.'
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- How many times was he shot?- Once.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19- But it went straight through?- Yes.
0:45:19 > 0:45:20Poor thing.
0:45:22 > 0:45:27- He is so lucky.- Yes, very lucky. - How are you feeling now?
0:45:39 > 0:45:43'He says they were out celebrating exam results.'
0:45:44 > 0:45:46So the motorbike came from up here, to here?
0:45:47 > 0:45:49- WOMAN:- Yes.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59And he shot Yanis first?
0:46:01 > 0:46:03He fell down.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Oh, he was trying to pull him away.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26'Shot in the back, he ran up this hill and hid.'
0:46:28 > 0:46:31What were you thinking when you were hiding behind that sand?
0:46:49 > 0:46:50'The day after the murder,
0:46:50 > 0:46:55'Alfredo published a letter on Facebook which went viral.'
0:46:56 > 0:46:59"I am addressing this to you, Mr Rodrigo Duterte.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06"My youngest son was shot in the head by riding in tandem men.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08"He died instantly...
0:47:10 > 0:47:15"..with multiple bullets in the head. Let me be very, very frank.
0:47:17 > 0:47:22"If they know how to kill people, so do I."
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Were you angry with Duterte when you wrote it?
0:47:25 > 0:47:30If he did not initiate this campaign...
0:47:32 > 0:47:35..perhaps my son is still alive now.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53In all the weeks I've been here, and through all the witnesses
0:47:53 > 0:47:56I've spoken to, so many people keep telling
0:47:56 > 0:47:58me stories about alleged police involvement in the killings,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01so I have come to the Philippine National Police because
0:48:01 > 0:48:03I want to put it to them and ask them about it.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06No, that gives me...
0:48:06 > 0:48:10'Senior Superintendent Dionardo Carlos is the spokesperson for the
0:48:10 > 0:48:13'Philippines National Police.'
0:48:13 > 0:48:16There's a steady decline in the number of crime incidents
0:48:16 > 0:48:19when we started our campaign against criminality.
0:48:19 > 0:48:24All crime happening in the streets went down, except for murder.
0:48:24 > 0:48:30Of all the crimes to not decrease, murder, that's surely the worst one.
0:48:30 > 0:48:36Yes, but we always look at the total crime environment.
0:48:37 > 0:48:43'He pulls up a graph that shows 759,000 people have surrendered
0:48:43 > 0:48:45'since the drugs war began.'
0:48:45 > 0:48:48This is about 95%, these are surrenderers.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49Which is this figure?
0:48:49 > 0:48:52These are the suspects that were killed,
0:48:52 > 0:48:551,795 are being killed in police operations.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57That's a big number, though.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00- And these are just police operations?- Yes,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02police operations. Where do we focus?
0:49:02 > 0:49:05On the spot in the clean sheet of paper,
0:49:05 > 0:49:10or the entire paper that would say majority are surrendering?
0:49:10 > 0:49:16But this spot, as you said, that's 1,795 families.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17When we started doing this,
0:49:17 > 0:49:22we would go out and always remind them, do not fight it out.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27It is their decision to stay alive if they will not shoot our
0:49:27 > 0:49:29police officers.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32The stories we have heard from various families is that
0:49:32 > 0:49:37there's a loved one in the house, the police have cleared the area,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40come into the house, they have heard the shots fired,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43there's been no exchange of gunfire and so those people,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45because the police came and did that,
0:49:45 > 0:49:49they are too terrified to then go to the police and report these police.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54If they feel and they have proof and they have evidence and they witness
0:49:54 > 0:50:00the police doing wrong, we always tell them, "Please report this
0:50:00 > 0:50:02"and we will make them answer for the wrong deeds
0:50:02 > 0:50:04"that they have done."
0:50:04 > 0:50:08The world has been watching the President's campaign and his
0:50:08 > 0:50:11declaration of the war on drugs and he did say,
0:50:11 > 0:50:15he did encourage extrajudicial killings.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20It then follows thousands of people being killed in the street
0:50:20 > 0:50:23and they have signs, "I'm a pusher, don't be like me."
0:50:23 > 0:50:27There was never an illegal order received by the men of the
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Philippine National Police coming from the commander-in-chief.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Do you think people misunderstood it?
0:50:32 > 0:50:34Because there are a lot of killings going on.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37I mean, I've been out at night and seen the bodies.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Did he order the police or any of the members of the government
0:50:41 > 0:50:44to do illegal act? None. Nothing.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45But why did he say it, then?
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Well, I cannot answer you that.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59'Duterte is escalating the scope of his war on drugs.'
0:51:11 > 0:51:14'He claims over 1,000 public officials are linked
0:51:14 > 0:51:16'to the drugs trade.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18'He's read out many of their names on TV.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21'Some have already been killed.'
0:51:25 > 0:51:28'The numbers in the firing line keep growing,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30'and increasingly include the President's critics.'
0:51:32 > 0:51:36So, President Duterte has made yet another controversial speech.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40This time his focus was on human rights activists,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42because they protect drug pushers,
0:51:42 > 0:51:46and he's actually saying, "I will include you in the killings now."
0:51:46 > 0:51:49So, of course, that's caused major alarm
0:51:49 > 0:51:52in the human rights communities here.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01'I made repeated requests for an interview with the man himself,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03'but received no reply.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08'Yet I did manage the next best thing.'
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Hi, Miss Jocelyn. I'm Olivia. Hi.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16'I'm meeting with his sister Jocelyn, the family spokesperson.'
0:52:18 > 0:52:22There was something phenomenal about his winning the presidency.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26It was because of the overwhelming votes...
0:52:27 > 0:52:31..that he got. So it's the will of the people.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34And why do you think that was, he got so many, though?
0:52:34 > 0:52:37Because I think the people were tired of, of...
0:52:40 > 0:52:44..the same things, you know? They wanted a change.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47They wanted somebody who would say what he does.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51There have been over 4,000 recent killings
0:52:51 > 0:52:54under the war on drugs.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55The extrajudicial killings.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Does the President want these killings to happen?
0:53:01 > 0:53:03If I were to quote the president...
0:53:04 > 0:53:08"If you go into drugs, and you get killed...
0:53:10 > 0:53:12"..it's because you broke the law."
0:53:13 > 0:53:15We all want due process.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19We all want justice done in the right way.
0:53:19 > 0:53:25But is there really such a thing in cases of where drugs are concerned?
0:53:25 > 0:53:32Drug money's the biggest moneymaking that I know of.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34You can bribe the judge.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38So what happens? Gets dismissed.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42I know that drugs bring all sorts of problems
0:53:42 > 0:53:46and can destroy society and family and so on.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50But isn't killing almost 5,000 people worse?
0:53:50 > 0:53:54All I know is that the people who die
0:53:54 > 0:53:56are people into the drug business.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00This is an internal problem, the extrajudicial killings.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04We are a democratic country. We elect a President.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08And if they elected a President like him,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10and that's the way they want it done,
0:54:10 > 0:54:12that's the way it will be done.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59'At first, Duterte said it would take him
0:54:59 > 0:55:02'only six months to clean up the country.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08'When that time ran out, he asked for six more.'
0:55:15 > 0:55:20'So everyone has been caught up in the climate of impunity
0:55:20 > 0:55:22'created by this war on drugs.'
0:55:27 > 0:55:30# Take me out of my depths... #
0:55:30 > 0:55:32'The cops...
0:55:32 > 0:55:34'and the criminals.'
0:55:34 > 0:55:36# Get out of breath... #
0:55:36 > 0:55:39- 'The killers...' - # Ward off my death... #
0:55:39 > 0:55:41'..and their victims.'
0:55:41 > 0:55:44# All of those waves... #
0:55:44 > 0:55:48- 'The guilty...' - # All of that water... #
0:55:48 > 0:55:49'And the innocent.'
0:55:52 > 0:55:55- # Made me tread water... # - 'The living...'
0:55:57 > 0:55:59# Ward off my death...
0:55:59 > 0:56:00'And the dead.'
0:56:02 > 0:56:09# All of those waves and all of that water. #