The Philippine Drug War
Giving a voice to the voiceless
Start
What Happens When Voices Go Unheard?
Have you ever seen something unfair happen and wanted to speak up, but didn’t know how?
"Silence can be violence too."
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Introduction
This event shows what can happen when people lose their voices and can’t share their side of the story. I chose this topic because it connects to the themes of justice and identity, showing that speaking up helps us discover who we are. Middle school students should care because it reminds us that even young people can make a difference by standing up for others. It also connects to author Randy Ribay, whose character in Patron Saints of Nothing is deeply affected by this event.
Deep Dive
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
To learn more about the Philippine Drug War, select one!
Start
What was the Philippine Drug War?
Start
Who's voices were silenced?
Start
Why is this important?
Start
Who started it and why?
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
What was the Phippine Drug War?
On June 30th, 2016 a war erupted because President Rodrigo Duterte launched a campaign against the production and use of drugs in the Philippines. This war lead to over 12,000 deaths in the span of six years.
LET'S GO
Hover Here-->
Who is President Rodrigo Duterte?
President Rodrigo Duterte started out as a city prosecutor from 1977 until 1986, there he was appointed as Vice Mayor of Davao City. He proceeded to run for the mayor position and has never lost an election since then. Buterte ran for Philippine's 16th President and won by a landslide on May 9th, 2016.
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Who started it and why?
The war on drugs was launched by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016,growing on the tacticts he used earlier as Mayor of Davao. Duterte's main arguement were that drug addition and trafficking were major obstacles to, and his promiises encouraged his people to take matters into their own hands.
Click Here-->
Hover Here-->
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Who's voices were silenced?
Duterte silenced his people who spoke the truth but alos silenced the media. He revoked multiple journalist's media pages, specifically the Philippines' third largest online news site, Rappler.
Click the image above to read more!!
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Why is this important?
The Philippine Drug War is important because it teaches us about justice, truth, and human rights. It shows what can happen when power goes unchecked and when fear replaces fairness. By learning about it, students can understand why using our voices to question injustice matters in every community, big or small.
"Silence can be violence too."
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Activities and Disscussion
Pick one of the three prompts and turn and discuss with a peer. 1. What are some ways students can use their voices to stand up for something unfair they see at school or in their community? 2. Why do you think some people supported the Philippine Drug War while others were against it? What does that tell us about how people view justice differently? 3. The book says, “Silence can be violence too.” What do you think that means? Can staying silent ever be harmful?
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Classroom Connection
This lesson connects literacy and social studies by exploring justice and global awareness. It fits as a guided discussion or extention activity after reading Patron Saints of Nothing.
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Reflection
Working on this project taught me that voices can be easily silenced, but stories can keep them alive. I learned how literature helps build empathy and teaches justice. As a future teacher, I want to help my students see that their voices matter too.
Works Cited
Amnesty International. (2025, June 20). The Philippines “war on drugs.” Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/projects/the-philippines-war-on-drugs/ Dombrowski, J. C., Dorabjee, J., & Strathdee, S. A. (2017). Editorial: Atrocity in the Philippines: How Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drug Users May Exacerbate the Burgeoning HIV Epidemic. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 76(1), 23–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000001464 Hepworth, S. (2021). Another independent voice is silenced in Duterte’s war on the media. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/analysis/rappler-duterte-philippines.php Hough, L. (2020, May 28). The Patron Saint of Writing What You Know | Harvard Graduate School of Education. Www.gse.harvard.edu. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/20/05/patron-saint-writing-what-you-know Human Rights Watch. (2019). Philippines’ “War on Drugs” | Human Rights Watch. Hrw.org. https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-on-drugs President | Philippine Embassy of Canberra Australia. (n.d.). Www.philembassy.org.au. https://www.philembassy.org.au/the-philippines/president Randy Ribay. (n.d.). Vermont College of Fine Arts. https://vcfa.edu/visiting-faculty/randy-ribay/ Xu, M. (2016, December 16). Human Rights and Duterte’s War on Drugs. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/interview/human-rights-and-dutertes-war-drugs Yu, M. (2023, November 21). How one reporter tells the story of Philippines President Duterte’s drug war. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/21/1214529453/how-one-reporter-tells-the-story-of-philippines-president-dutertes-drug-war
The Philippine Drug War
Jessica Smith
Created on October 15, 2025
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Transcript
The Philippine Drug War
Giving a voice to the voiceless
Start
What Happens When Voices Go Unheard?
Have you ever seen something unfair happen and wanted to speak up, but didn’t know how?
"Silence can be violence too."
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Introduction
This event shows what can happen when people lose their voices and can’t share their side of the story. I chose this topic because it connects to the themes of justice and identity, showing that speaking up helps us discover who we are. Middle school students should care because it reminds us that even young people can make a difference by standing up for others. It also connects to author Randy Ribay, whose character in Patron Saints of Nothing is deeply affected by this event.
Deep Dive
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
To learn more about the Philippine Drug War, select one!
Start
What was the Philippine Drug War?
Start
Who's voices were silenced?
Start
Why is this important?
Start
Who started it and why?
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
What was the Phippine Drug War?
On June 30th, 2016 a war erupted because President Rodrigo Duterte launched a campaign against the production and use of drugs in the Philippines. This war lead to over 12,000 deaths in the span of six years.
LET'S GO
Hover Here-->
Who is President Rodrigo Duterte?
President Rodrigo Duterte started out as a city prosecutor from 1977 until 1986, there he was appointed as Vice Mayor of Davao City. He proceeded to run for the mayor position and has never lost an election since then. Buterte ran for Philippine's 16th President and won by a landslide on May 9th, 2016.
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Who started it and why?
The war on drugs was launched by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016,growing on the tacticts he used earlier as Mayor of Davao. Duterte's main arguement were that drug addition and trafficking were major obstacles to, and his promiises encouraged his people to take matters into their own hands.
Click Here-->
Hover Here-->
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Who's voices were silenced?
Duterte silenced his people who spoke the truth but alos silenced the media. He revoked multiple journalist's media pages, specifically the Philippines' third largest online news site, Rappler.
Click the image above to read more!!
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Why is this important?
The Philippine Drug War is important because it teaches us about justice, truth, and human rights. It shows what can happen when power goes unchecked and when fear replaces fairness. By learning about it, students can understand why using our voices to question injustice matters in every community, big or small.
"Silence can be violence too."
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Activities and Disscussion
Pick one of the three prompts and turn and discuss with a peer. 1. What are some ways students can use their voices to stand up for something unfair they see at school or in their community? 2. Why do you think some people supported the Philippine Drug War while others were against it? What does that tell us about how people view justice differently? 3. The book says, “Silence can be violence too.” What do you think that means? Can staying silent ever be harmful?
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Classroom Connection
This lesson connects literacy and social studies by exploring justice and global awareness. It fits as a guided discussion or extention activity after reading Patron Saints of Nothing.
Classroom
Questions
Introduction
Reflection
Working on this project taught me that voices can be easily silenced, but stories can keep them alive. I learned how literature helps build empathy and teaches justice. As a future teacher, I want to help my students see that their voices matter too.
Works Cited
Amnesty International. (2025, June 20). The Philippines “war on drugs.” Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/projects/the-philippines-war-on-drugs/ Dombrowski, J. C., Dorabjee, J., & Strathdee, S. A. (2017). Editorial: Atrocity in the Philippines: How Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drug Users May Exacerbate the Burgeoning HIV Epidemic. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 76(1), 23–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000001464 Hepworth, S. (2021). Another independent voice is silenced in Duterte’s war on the media. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/analysis/rappler-duterte-philippines.php Hough, L. (2020, May 28). The Patron Saint of Writing What You Know | Harvard Graduate School of Education. Www.gse.harvard.edu. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/20/05/patron-saint-writing-what-you-know Human Rights Watch. (2019). Philippines’ “War on Drugs” | Human Rights Watch. Hrw.org. https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-on-drugs President | Philippine Embassy of Canberra Australia. (n.d.). Www.philembassy.org.au. https://www.philembassy.org.au/the-philippines/president Randy Ribay. (n.d.). Vermont College of Fine Arts. https://vcfa.edu/visiting-faculty/randy-ribay/ Xu, M. (2016, December 16). Human Rights and Duterte’s War on Drugs. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/interview/human-rights-and-dutertes-war-drugs Yu, M. (2023, November 21). How one reporter tells the story of Philippines President Duterte’s drug war. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/21/1214529453/how-one-reporter-tells-the-story-of-philippines-president-dutertes-drug-war