To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

-Nelson Mandela
At around noon of June 30th, the whole country witnessed the inauguration of Rodrigo Duterte.
He raised his right hand, placed his left hand on top of a Catholic bible and swore an oath. Our
beloved country has held this event sixteen times. In every one of those, we always had a sense
of hope and change. However, we always end up disappointed and helpless as these powerful
people disregard the very principles that uphold the Filipino people. In the Presidents inaugural
speech, he vowed to restore the peoples trust in the government. The aim was to end all political
divisions and, subsequently, unify the Filipino people. Indeed, the goal was honorable and ideal
as this was the change that we were all craving for. Yet, that hope vanished as there was a catch
took all of us by surprise the extrajudicial killings.
The governments rapport with the Filipino people have grown weak throughout the years.
Furthermore, political dynasties and corruption have stunted the growth of our economy. This
administration vowed to challenge it by eliminating political opposition and exposing them. The
question was, how? The administration believed that the connection between the higher and
lower class was mainly due to illegal drugs. Powerful political figures support the suppliers and
deliver it to the masses as they generate ridiculous profit. The extrajudicial killings were political
statements to the lower social groups that if youre part of the drugs system, you have to pay
with the price of your life. While the numerous exposures and isolation of certain political
figures were examples to the higher social classes. These unorthodox strategies proved costly as
it did not unify the country rather made it more divisive.