From the start of the Rodrigo Duterte administration in 2016 to the new Bongbong Marcos administration in 2022, the Philippines has seen the killings of various government officials.

This culture of impunity is dangerous in a democracy where killers can circumvent the democratic process and eliminate officials elected by the people. This has a chilling effect on elected officials who want to pass laws to reign in gangs and political groups that gain too much power. This severely weakens the checks and balances necessary to help reign in abuses of power.

About the Cartoonist

Angelo Lopez is the editorial cartoonist for the Philippine News Today, a Filipino community newspaper based in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Angelo is a four-time Sigma Delta Chi awardee for editorial cartooning for newspapers with a circulation under 100,000. He has also won the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Book and Journalism Award for Editorial Cartoons.