In this episode, Karen and Cathy continue reflecting on their experiences during Duterte’s war on drugs.
This includes instances that highlight the horror and cruelty of the situation, conditions in the Philippines that aided Duterte’s ascent to power, his influence while he was in office and legacy after leaving, and their predictions for the outcome of his upcoming trial at the International Criminal Court. You can also read a recent Currents article where Cathy talks about her love of K-pop (particularly BTS, very importantly), and how this helped her to get through some extremely difficult times.
Content warning
This episode includes discussions about the discovery a secret detention cell in a Manila police station, and the death of Rolando Espinosa, the mayor of Albuera, a town in Leyte, who was killed while in police custody. You can read more about the secret detention cell Karen mentions here, here and here, and more about the killing of Espinosa can be found here and here, with a post tracking the number of mayors killed in the Philippines during the Duterte administration available here — these articles contain potentially disturbing information, so reader discretion is advised.
