Audiences following the gritty, hard-hitting series Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence were recently left wondering why the sixth and final episode took longer than expected to reach screens. The delay came after an unexpected disruption that saw the show temporarily pulled down from its online streaming platform. Addressing the setback and the team’s efforts to bring the finale to viewers, director Shugo Praico shares, “Few weeks back, we were pulled down, the first five episodes from our YouTube channel, but the good thing is bumalik na siya ngayon. We worked hard para makabalik siya kasi nung nawala, we got messages from people that are concerned and nagtatanong what will happen to the story. So, alam naming naghihintay ang audience.”
With the intense season finale now out, viewers feel that need to see more of the story of Father Tom, played by Ian Veneracion, and Yana, played by Jane Oineza. When asked if a follow-up or continuation is possible given the rich source material, director Shugo answers, “Well, kung kami lang ang tatanungin, there’s a wealth of stories dito sa subject matter. ‘Yung research na ginawa namin, sobrang laki, ang hirap pagkasyahin sa six episodes. If given the opportunity, we feel there’s more stories to tell about this.” On what’s stopping them from immediately diving into a new season, he clarifies, “eto muna, ‘yung 1-6 muna. But hopefully, madagdagan ‘yung kwento. Kung kami, the writers, we’d love to do it.”
The sheer depth of research conducted by writers Jonathan Guillermo and Noreen Capili yielded heartbreaking real-life accounts that heavily influenced the show’s direction. Recalling the most disturbing case encountered during her research, writer Noreen shares, “Ako ‘yung kwento ni Lotlot. ‘Yung nanay na tatlo ang anak niyang sunod-sunod namatay. Nung namatay ‘yung unang anak, habang nag-iipon siya ng pera panglabas dun sa punerarya, habang nag-iipon sila para mailabas ‘yung anak niya, nabaril ‘yung pangalawa, tapos nabaril ‘yung pangatlo. ‘Yun ‘yung tipong ang sakit sa dibdib na binabasa mo siya, at tama si direk, ‘yun din ‘yung nagmo-motivate at nagbibigay tapang na kung walang magku-kwento sa kwento nila, hindi natin malalaman na totoo ‘yung mga nangyaring ‘yon.”
For writer Jonathan Guillermo, that same mother’s resilience left an indelible mark, alongside another chilling survivor account that inspired one of the show’s core characters. Writer Jonathan Guillermo adds, ”For me, it’s also the same woman. The woman who, after being given the run around by the cops, she started an ihawan near the police station and she employed people who are also affected by the drug war, she hired them. She put her ihawan, I think half way between the police station and the cemetery, so that kita niya ‘yung anak niya and kita niya ‘yung pulis. The other is ‘yung naging basis nung kwento ni Reb, the vegetable vendor who was shot alongside his friends and pretended to be dead, buried under bodies and managed to crawl to a creek and wiggle his way about a mile away from the site just to be able to escape. Everybody thought he was dead, but he was still alive.”
While fans wait to see if the series will return for a second chapter, the six episodes of Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence stand as a testament to these harrowing realities, ensuring that the stories of real-life victims and survivors continue to be heard.
‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence’ full season one is now available to watch for free on Rein Entertainment’s YouTube channel.
Watch our coverage from the finale talk back below: