The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., named Major General Rommel Francisco Marbil as the country’s new police chief last week. Marbil replaces General Benjamin Acorda Jr., who retired at the start of April, only three months after his term had been extended by the president. The appointment has raised hopes of an end to the country’s lethal war on drugs. 

Speaking at his first press conference on Tuesday, Marbil promised a new approach, stating that “there is no need for a drug war” because it is part of everyday law enforcement, and that police should “always follow the rule of law” when dealing with drug users and dealers. But the new chief was clear that he wanted a “100% drugless community.”

The drug war was a key policy of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Between 2016 and 2022, Duterte oversaw deadly anti-drug operations and vigilante violence that killed thousands of Filipinos, with human rights groups claiming the figure is upwards of 30,000 people. The former president was unapologetic, using media appearances to call for the “slaughter” of drug addicts and offering to pay the legal fees of police officers accused of extrajudicial killings. 

Marbil’s words are welcome, particularly for the families of those killed. The problem is that we have heard similar rhetoric before.

Marcos Jr promised a new, less deadly approach to the drug war when he was elected in 2022. Instead of lethal anti-drug operations, authorities would focus on prevention and rehabilitation. This “different way” was a world apart from his predecessor’s way and aimed at minimizing preventable deaths.

These sentiments have been echoed by Marbil’s two predecessors. In March, Acorda told the media that authorities wanted to tackle illicit drugs “honestly.” His predecessor Rodolfo Azurin Jr. stated in 2023 that he wanted “to minimize as much as possible these killings,” referring to the deaths from police anti-drug operations.

But the rhetoric does not reflect events on the ground, with Filipinos still dying in anti-drug operations. 

According to the University of the Philippines’ Dahas drug program, 604 people have been killed since Marcos took office. This equates to almost one Filipino killed per day or 28 every month. In March alone, 39 people were killed, making it the second deadliest month under Marcos since July 2022, when 41 people were killed.

Human Rights Watch also has found “no evidence” of a change in policy by the government, claiming that anti-drug operations have continued to cost lives and that any attempts at rehabilitation have been coercive. The organization has also accused the authorities of undercounting drug-related killings, with PNP figures well below Dahas’s findings.

Marcos has stood in the way of an ongoing investigation into the drug war by the International Criminal Court, claiming the court has no jurisdiction over the Philippines. Last July, the president told the media that “we will not cooperate with them in any way, shape or form” after the court ruled against an attempt by his government to halt the investigation. This suggests Marcos has no interest in accountability for drug-related deaths under both Duterte’s and his own administration.

Making matters worse, Duterte’s son Sebastian, the mayor of Davao City, declared a new “war on drugs” last month, telling drug users: “iI you don’t stop, if you don’t leave, I will kill you.” Drug-related killings spiked after the announcement, with Human Rights Watch reporting that five people were killed by police for drug-related offenses within 24 hours. But killings in Davao are not new, with 96 people killed in drug-related incidents between July 2022 and March 2024.

There have been attempts by the authorities to tackle illicit drugs and punish extrajudicial killings at the same time. In March, seven police officers were relieved from their posts in connection with the shooting deaths of drug suspects in Davao City. The police force has also attempted to weed out officers involved in the drug trade, dismissing 108 officersfor using or dealing illicit drugs since Marcos was inaugurated. 

These measures are welcome, but they have not stopped the killing of Filipinos in anti-drug operations. Clearly there is more that needs to be done and the government and police need to meet words with action. 

This means ceasing lethal anti-drug operations, which have killed thousands – and which have been shown to target only drug users and low-level dealers, not the main sources of supply. Government officials admitted as much in 2020, when then-Vice President Leni Robredo said the war on drugs was a “massive failure” after it had been revealed that only 1% of the methamphetamine in the Philippines had been seized in three years. 

The authorities should replace anti-drug operations with legitimate approaches to prevention and rehabilitation. This can include education programs, non-coercive rehabilitation facilities and non-punitive police strategies, such as fines, rather than targeting and killing drug users and dealers.

The government also needs to reverse its position on the ongoing ICC investigation. Instead of stubborn resistance, the government and police force should cooperate fully with the court to ensure justice for victims and their families. It would also show that Marcos and Marbil are serious about accountability.

Illicit drugs are undeniably a problem in the Philippines and reducing the harm they cause is unsurprisingly popular with Filipinos. But Marcos came to power promising a new approach, one that saves – not takes – lives.

After almost two years in office, it is time for Marcos to walk the talk. The appointment of Rommel Marbil may show that this is finally happening. But unless legitimate attempts are made to stop killings and focus on prevention, more Filipinos will be killed needlessly.