| Sumario: | This paper reads the Philippine socio-political context of the Duterte administration (2016-2022)--focusing primarily with the war on drugs and the facilitation of the Marcoses' return--guided by de Beauvoir's freedom and responsibility in her The Ethics of Ambiguity. To claim that Filipinos' political tragedies are simply the result of being victims of the system (bad faith) is a misguided idea, for one cannot disregard the Dutertes' and the Marcoses' agency and accountability for their choices and thus should be held liable for human rights violations. The paper is divided into three parts. First is a discussion about structural violence in the Philippines, focusing on state-sponsored oppression (e.g., the war on drugs). The second part is freedom and responsibility based on Simone de Beauvoir's moral philosophy. For Simone de Beauvoir, our greatest imperative is to create our life's meaning while protecting the freedom of others to do the same. This brings us to the third part, where we explore how recognizing and assuming our freedom and responsibility can overcome the conditions of oppression. Ultimately, in using Simone de Beauvoir's moral philosophy to analyze the Philippine context, this research shows that her contribution to philosophy remains relevant and goes beyond feminism.
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