This local café found in Quezon City is not just a simple café that offers a good cup of coffee, but also offers a story—a story that needs to be heard. Silingan Coffee, which opened last year, is a coffee shop staffed primarily with the mothers and wives, sisters, and daughters of the unfortunate victims of EJKs or extra-judicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Silingan, is a Visayan word which means neighbor or kapitbahay in Tagalog. According to Silingan Coffee, they chose this name in line with their dream of bringing back the Filipino culture of ‘pakikipag-kapitbahay’ and ‘pakikipag-kapwa tao’.
As the head barista, Sharon Angeles, shared in their interview with The New York Times, that in Silingan, they don’t just sell coffee, however, they tell customers about their life, and how the coffee shop serves as a healing place for them.
The aim of Silingan
Like the other members of the Silingan team, Sharon also had a brother who was unfortunately killed in the fatal tokhang operation. “We also tell them, if they care to listen, why Duterte’s drug war is a war on the poor, and not on drugs,” she stated.
These women of Silingan seek to educate the masses about the brutal truth behind former president Duterte’s promise to purge the streets of drug dealers and addicts at all costs.
According to the Philippine National Police, approximately 8,000 people accused of being involved in the illegal drug trade have been killed ever since the Duterte administration launched the deadly war on drugs. While the human rights groups have reported higher numbers.
As the son and namesake of the former dictator, was elected to succeed Mr. Duterte, along with Duterte’s daughter, as his vice president, the women of Silingan hope to see Mr. Duterte held responsible for the violence before it is too late.
Indeed, with each cup of coffee that we get, we’ll come as a customer and come out as an instant kapitbahay in Silingan Coffee. A neighbor that is willing to tell each other stories, support, and dream for peace and security that we need in our country.
If you want to drop by for a cup of coffee and hear the stories of our dearest kapitbahay, Silingan Coffee is located inside the Cubao Expo, Quezon City.
━━ Photos by Hannah Reyes Morales for The New York Times
