In this op-ed, Isidora Torres explores the personal impact of "drug war" policies implemented by Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Less than three months ago, I was a mere spectator of what was happening thousands miles away in the Philippines. Headlines filled my screen, horrific photo essays found a home on my eyes but in a matter of seconds, in the midst of a meeting, a blue bubble from one of my closest relatives appeared on my phone that changed everything.

“She's dead. She's dead.”

At the time this message came, my family was expecting my cousin Julie (whose name has been changed for this story) and her five children to join us in America. They were on their last step to finally receiving their American visas and making the U.S., my home, their new home. My aunt — Julie’s mom — and other relatives were feverishly awaiting their arrival, sending whatever they needed to ensure their inevitable descent onto American soil: clothes, paperwork, and even a pair of UGG boots to make it easier to acclimate to San Francisco's cooler temperatures once they arrived. On the night before Julie’s final interview at the embassy, Julie sent my cousin John a Facebook message asking him what kind of dress she should choose to wear. Finally, she and her children had a chance to taste the dream.

John didn’t realize that the next time he would have to help pick out a dress it’d be for her burial.

The following day, they found Julie’s dead body in our grandparents’ home in a small town located on one of the Philippines’ islands. She was shot in the face in front of her children by unknown men who had unexpectedly and forcibly entered the front door of the home. Two of her children described the men as wearing masks, therefore unverifiable to anyone. Julie was a former drug user in years past, a fact known by everyone who lived in the tiny town. Despite having been clean for more than five years, a dark cloud shadowed her every move, especially since tensions were at an all-time high in the country. We pleaded her to stay out of the town as much as possible but she had decided to return to say hello to our uncle, who was visiting from the States.

In a larger sense, she was just a piece of what was happening in the Philippines. Dubbed “Trump of the East,” President Rodrigo Duterte had been making headlines since he was elected president in May 2016. He ran on a platform where he connected with the everyday man, promising to take the power back to the people. Duterte won the presidential election with an estimated 16 million votes out of a total of 54 million registered voters. Known as the “The Punisher,” Duterte first led the city of Davao against crime and corruption through violent means. Under his tenure as mayor, what was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world had allegedly became one of the safer cities in the world based on a user generated survey.

According to Time, by 2013, the Philippines had the highest homicide rate in Asia and 11th worldwide. In addition to its high crime rates, over 21% of the population continues to live under the poverty line. The Filipino people craved change to the status quo, and Duterte came across as exactly that. Ever the crowd-raiser, he’s casually made public statements confessing past murders as former mayor, and said a gang rape victim was so beautiful that he wished he would’ve “been first.” He presented an anti-drug campaign, a call to action and encouragement of citizens to take matters into their own hands and to kill their fellow Filipino brethren in the hopes of curbing mass drug trafficking and usage.