Filipinos Mark One Year After Duterte Declared War On Drugs

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - JUNE 26: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop of #805532162) Police investigators inspect the body of John Estrella, 18, who was allegedly killed by unidentified assailants on June 26, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. As with thousand others who died in connection with the government's campaign against drugs, the lifeless body of Estrella was allegedly found by policemen in a dark street with a pistol and sachets of illegal drugs in his body. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte marked one year in power on June 30 with over 7,000 people killed, mostly poor slum-dwellers, and 80,000 arrested during his brutal war on drugs. The former mayor began his presidency with a murderous war against drugs which brought overseas criticism for letting police shoot to kill on drug raids, but Duterte's popularity remains high among the Filipinos for getting things done with a call for crackdowns at any cost. According to reports, government officials have said that crime has dropped and future generations of Filipinos are being protected from the scourge of drugs during his anti-drug campaign. Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao since May after militants inspired by Islamic State stormed Marawi City and his image as a law-and-order president was quickly dented due to the army's failure to retake the city but despite that, the tough-talking 72-year-old's colloquial, shoot-from-the-hip style of communication still appears to be politically bullet-proof. (Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images)