This article examines the left-behind families of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims under President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. It looks into the lives of the EJK-bereaved, most of whom are mothers and wives, and their search for justice and healing following the shock of losing their husbands and sons, who are usually breadwinners of the household. The ethnography sheds light on the realities that come with single motherhood and as heads of the household, as well as the everyday fear, angst, and violence the families continue to face in light of the killings. Moreover, it attempts to unsheathe the layers and gray areas involved in grief and the pursuit of justice. Apart from the women’s narrations of their experiences in their conscious waking lives, it also turns to their experiences with the unconscious and the supernatural through symbols gleaned from visitation dreams and apparitions from the deceased.
Keywords: Extrajudicial killings, drug war, drugs, grief, ethnography, Philippines, DuterteABS-CBN News. (2018, May 27). 1,993 `desaparecidos` since Marcos: Human rights federation. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 17, 2019, from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/27/18/1993-desaparecidos-sincemarcos-human-rights-federation.
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