MANILA Relatives of some of the thousands killed in the Philippines' war on drugs acted out their journey of loss and healing in a theater performance in Manila on Wednesday, capping a month-long therapy program for grieving urban poor families.<\/p>\n
Bereaved mothers, wives and children took to the stage at a high school in the business center of the capital in front of a crowd of 500, most of them students. They danced to pop songs, and performed monologues and political sketches.<\/p>\n
\"If you would look at the performers, there are so many smiles. They were dancing in joy,\" said organizer Flavie Villanueva, a former drug user-turned-priest who is critical of President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign.<\/p>\n
\"The first time they came to me, there was nothing but tears, anguish and anger,\" said Villanueva, who launched 'Paghilom' - 'healing' in Tagalog - in 2016 to comfort grieving families.<\/p>\n
More than 5,600 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed in police anti-narcotics operations since Duterte took office in July 2016, according to government data. Thousands more died in mysterious circumstances, some shot dead by masked gunmen riding pillion on motorcycles.<\/p>\n
Rights group said the police summarily executed suspects. But police said they acted in self defense after suspects violently resisted arrest.<\/p>\n
\"Through 'Paghilom,' I let out all my tears,\" said Analyn Mamot, 33, whose husband, an illegal drugs user, was killed by unidentified gunmen two years ago. \"Now I feel new, like a new personality is alive in me.\"<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Eloisa Lopez; Writing by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)<\/p>\n
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Grieving Families in Philippine Drugs War Turn to Theater for Healing, Therapy - The New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MANILA Relatives of some of the thousands killed in the Philippines' war on drugs acted out their journey of loss and healing in a theater performance in Manila on Wednesday, capping a month-long therapy program for grieving urban poor families. Continue reading