FACT-CHECK: Marcos’ drug war not entirely ‘bloodless’

CLAIM: The anti-illegal drugs campaign of the Marcos Jr. administration is ‘bloodless.’

RATING: FALSE

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. claimed in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that his administration’s approach to the drug war was “bloodless.”

The statement points to an improvement over his predecessor’s anti-drug campaign that had been marred by accusations of grave human rights violations.

However, Dahas (a multisectoral project of University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center that tallies drug-related killings in the country) has reported a figure of 727 deaths under the Marcos government as of July 15.

The figure does not exactly square with his statement that “extermination is never a part” of his presidency’s campaign against illegal drugs.

This shows that Marcos Jr. is still struggling to wipe away the violent legacy of his estranged ally, former president Rodrigo Duterte who faces prosecution by the International Criminal Court for more than 12,000 deaths during his “War on Drugs.” Hurt Allauigan

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FACT-CHECK: Marcos Jr.’s claim on PhilHealth benefits for children with disabilities lacks detail

In his third State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said PhilHealth would launch benefits for children with disabilities next year. The announcement however was short on details, and there is already an existing program for children with disabilities.