After the bloodbath: exploring mothers’ narratives and the notions of accountability under Duterte’s drug war.

Abstract

During his campaign for the 2016 Philippine presidential election, president Rodrigo Duterte crafted a political platform that would appeal to an electorate wishing for change. A major part of this platform is the Philippine drug war, which was forwarded as the solution to eradicate poverty in the country. Locally known under different names, the Philippine drug war has claimed the lives of thousands and the concept of “Extrajudicial Killings” (EJKs) has been used to denote this gruesome aftermath. Various studies have been made to study EJK victims, but none to share and analyze the stories of the families left behind. In light of this, this study aims to collate familial narratives and identify the notions of accountability of the mothers of EJK victims. Collating the narratives and knowing the notions of accountability are done to gauge the capacity of Filipino mothers as potent political forces. In addition, the study also aims to inspire more relatives, specifically mothers, to join the movement against the Philippine drug war and other forms of human rights violations. For the purpose of the study, the researcher proposes to use Photo-elicitation interviews (PEI) as a method to gain more substantial and vivid insights from the mothers.