PSPC Drug War Report featured in a Philstar article: Duterte’s War on Drugs Violence Patterns Revealed

The study by Dr. Sol Dorotea Iglesias, published on March 19th by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) Program on Social and Political Change (PSPC), has garnered significant attention following former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest.

On March 7, 2025, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges stem from his controversial “war on drugs” campaign, which reportedly resulted in 12,000 to 30,000 deaths. Philippine authorities detained Duterte at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11, transferring him to ICC in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the recent CIDS policy brief “Addressing the Pattern of Violence: Under the Duterte Administration’s ‘War on Drugs'” was featured in a PhilStar article by Dominique Nicole Flores, providing a timely analysis of the systematic violence that characterized the anti-drug campaign. 

Dr. Iglesias’ findings on violence patterns during the anti-drug operation were featured in the article, along with the predictive model she developed to track the escalation and de-escalation of killings. Her research conclusively demonstrated that these patterns were not random but directly influenced by law enforcement policies and government decisions. This analysis offers critical insights into the systematic nature of the violence that characterized the ‘War on Drugs’ campaign. A forthcoming discussion paper will further elaborate on these findings.

You may read Philstar’s article here.