The latest data released by Karapatan is nothing short of harrowing. Human rights abuses have not only persisted but multiplied from Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s fascist regime to the present administration of Marcos Jr.
The numbers don’t lie: 134 extrajudicial killings, 14 enforced disappearances, 822 arbitrary arrests, 48,247 forced evacuations, and countless acts of threat, harassment, and intimidation between July 2022 and November 2025.
These figures remind us that anomalous flood control projects and confidential funds are not the only issues the Marcos-Duterte clique must answer to the Filipino people. Beyond systemic corruption, there is state violence.
On December 10, as we mark International Human Rights Day, we turn to ten powerful documentaries from the 2020s. Because the fight for justice and human dignity is far from over.
Alunsina (2020)
Kiri Dalena captures the trauma of children and families caught in the government’s bloody drug war, showing how art can serve as tools for survival.
Bullet-Laced Dreams (2020)
Directed by Kristoffer Brugada and Charena Escala, this 29-minute film explores the plight of Lumad children in Mindanao as they fight for their right to education amid displacement by militarization.
Rivers of Tears and Rage (2021)
Filmed during the pandemic, Maricon Montajes documents the tragic death and burial of Baby River Emmanuel, daughter of detained women’s rights activist Reina Mae Nasino, exposing political persecution under the Duterte administration.
Halawod (2021)
Anna Katrina Tejero’s documentary about the Tumandok tribe of Panay and their struggle against land dispossession and cultural erasure under the guise of modernization and development.
Bayi: Stories of Women Human Rights Defenders (2022)
Chantal Eco and Karapatan remember slain human rights defenders Zara Alvarez, Anna Mariz Evangelista, and Elisa Badayos through the stories of their loved ones.
Watch the film here: https://cinemata.org/view?m=UD8PUh8bz
Delikado (2022)
This internationally acclaimed film by Karl Malakunas tracks Palawan’s environmental crusaders in their battle against plunder and power at the risk their own lives.
Watch the full film here: https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/2046614086
Sa Talim ng Balisong (2023)
A hard-hitting documentary exposing the effects of state counterinsurgency in the province of Batangas, highlighting the link between social injustice and resistance.
11103 (2023)
Named after the official number of martial law victims recognized by the government, the film chronicles survivor testimonies of torture, imprisonment, and courage. Directed by Jeannette Ifurung and Mike Alcazaren, it also examines how historical distortion paved Marcos Jr.’s path to presidency.
Alipato at Muog (2024)
Like his documentary Portraits of Mosquito Press (2015), JL Burgos narrates this deeply personal film about his activist brother Jonas Burgos, who was forcibly disappeared in 2007. The documentary won Best Picture at both the 73rd FAMAS Awards and the 48th Gawad Urian Awards.
Bloom Where You Are Planted (2025)
The first full-length documentary in Cinemalaya history to win Best Picture for its “powerful and deeply humane portrayal of political activists uprooted by violence yet steadfast in their pursuit of justice and belonging.” Directed by Noni Abao, the film follows the lives and struggles of Agnes Mesina, Amanda Echanis, and Randy Malayao for land and peasant rights.
