Ep 14. On the President's Orders

On the President's Orders is the 14th episode of Frontline's 38th season which was first aired on September 24, 2019. This episode follows the extrajudicial killings of thousands of Filipinos as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs.

The program takes viewers on an unforgettable journey to the dysfunctional homeland of the ever-contrary Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte. The show features chilling footage of Manila's poverty-wracked streets and interviews with the country's key leaders, including its head of police, Ronald dela Rosa, who initiated the drug war under Duterte's administration; and also Duterte himself, who has urged Filipinos and the police to kill those suspected of using or selling drugs.

The Frontline team headed by producer James Jones, interviews dozens of insiders, from ordinary people living in communities plunged into urban chaos to official sources within the Philippine government, and security forces. It provides an unvarnished view, grounded in reality, of the appalling threats facing some of the most vulnerable people in a Democracy, under a bogeyman-like President's orders.

The documentary examines the human rights catastrophe on the ground in the Philippines, and provides context to the Duterte administration's war on drugs, which has been criticized by human rights experts and other governments worldwide. The nation-wide "drug war" has resulted in thousands of deaths, and has been criticized by the international community as a blatant disregard of human life with accusations of extrajudicial killings by local police.

On the President's Orders, takes viewers on a journey across Rodrigo Duterte's Philippines, a place where the rule of law appears to have been discarded, where the police operate with impunity, and where community vigilantes torture drug addicts and pushers. Viewers gain insights from the Filipinos who are experiencing the war on drug's impact firsthand; and they hear from human rights experts, who describe the situation as an ongoing calamity of crimes against humanity.

The Frontline team undertakes an in-depth investigation of the lasting damage wrought by the campaign, which has plunged the Philippines into a spiral of violence and chaos. The documentary reveals how the war on drugs has impacted those on the front lines of the battle: police officers, families of those killed, and the drug-addicted or suspected of drug trafficking or use.

The show also explores the country's system of impunity and how Duterte has used his presidential power to ensure that perpetrators of extrajudicial killings are not punished, and how Duterte has rallied public support for his anti-drugs campaign by playing on the public's fears.

Overall, On the President's Orders, is a harrowing look at one of the darkest episodes in modern Filipino history. The film is a stirring call to action for those who advocate change against injustice and human rights violations. Without resorting to sensationalism, Frontline has produced a gripping documentary that stirs passion, arouses anger, and forces viewers to look at issues of injustice and the rule of law in a country marked by corruption, police brutality, and extra-judicial killings.