MANILA, Philippines - Extrajudicial executions under the Duterte government’s anti-drug campaign surpassed the number of people killed during the murderous rule of Ferdinand Marcos from 1972 to 1981, according to Amnesty International (AI).

“Duterte came to power vowing to rid the Philippines of crime. Instead, people have been killed in the thousands by – or at the behest of – a police force that acts outside the law, on the orders of a President who has shown nothing but contempt for human rights and the people who stand up for them,” said James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

He added, “Duterte’s violent campaign has not ended crime or solved the problems associated with drugs. What it has done is turn the country into an even more dangerous place, further undermined the rule of law and earned him notoriety as a leader responsible for the death of thousands of his own citizens.”

Since assuming the presidency a year ago, Duterte and his administration have presided over a wide range of human rights violations, intimidated and imprisoned critics and created a climate of lawlessness, AI also said.

“The Duterte government has resisted accountability at every stage. There has been no credible investigation by the authorities and there has been no cooperation with the UN special rapporteur. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court may order a preliminary investigation into the mass killings. Given the rampant impunity, this may be the best option,” said Gomez.

He stressed that “there is a danger of lawlessness spreading in the country. When human rights and the rule of law are cast aside, police become rogue and emboldened, and ordinary people suffer. Security forces have a duty to abide by international law and standards. When they don’t, there is nothing differentiating them from the people they are supposed to be confronting.”

Detained Sen. Leila de Lima, one of Duterte’s vocal critics, described the President’s first year in office as a “year of lies, flawed policies and reckless violence.”

“I am the red flag that he waves at the Filipino people to distract them from his broken promises and their sufferings under his rule… One year. I can weep about my 127 days in detention, but my personal sufferings are nothing compared to what our people have suffered in one year of broken promises and misrule. If anything, I am the lucky one: I feel better sleeping in my detention quarters each night knowing I did what is right than living in luxury and false freedom, sleeping on a bed feathered with other people’s sufferings,” De Lima said in two handwritten statements.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros described the year as being a “dangerous time to be a woman” and marked by a “colossal human rights crisis.”

Even the President’s leftist allies in Congress are dismayed with his performance, saying he has not achieved the change he promised during the campaign.

They claimed Duterte would make life harder for the poor when fuel taxes are increased and the value added tax exemptions are lifted starting next year. The tax reforms, they warned, would result in higher prices of goods and services, making the poor poorer.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said Duterte’s first year in office has been a tug-of-war between those who want to inflict more suffering on the people and those who desire to pursue genuine reforms to reduce poverty and hunger.

“Obviously, it is the first group, which includes former military officers, that gained the upper hand,” Zarate said as he named Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia as “purveyors” of the increased tax burden.

Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers also said the administration introduced anti-poor policies, like the re-imposition of the death penalty and either increasing or imposing new taxes.

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said Duterte’s promised real change “is still distant and as far as the eye can see” as representatives and members of the Gabriela Women’s Party also joined in street protests to express their disappointment.

The group used a variety of emojis to express their sentiments: “angry” for the administration’s failure to stop contractualization; “beast mode” for the militarized bureaucracy and the martial law declaration; “happy” for initiatives to pursue peace negotiations and “vomiting” for disgust at the President’s rape jokes and sexist comments.

– With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Artemio Dumlao, Ghio Ong, Paolo Romero, Sheila Crisostomo