With Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte marking four years since his inauguration, we look at the legacy of among the world's most divisive leaders. How is the strongman at once so passionately loathed by his detractors and resoundingly loved by his supporters?
To outsiders, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte might look like an enigma.
Regularly criticised both at home and abroad for his deadly war on drugs, authoritarian leanings and combative, unmuzzled rhetoric, Duterte detractors chalk up the legacy of his four years in power as one of destruction and democratic erosion. The Filipino Congress and Supreme Court have thrice allowed Duterte to extend martial law in Mindanao.
Duterte had built a reputation for combating drugs and crime during his time as mayor of Davao City and, once president, he launched a nationwide campaign to tackle illegal drug use under the narrative that drugs are an existential threat to society. Polling on the war on drugs, too, shows that Filipinos do not trust the police, with more than 70% believing there are human rights abuses in the campaign even while the overwhelming majority shows support for the movement as a whole. The national surveys suggest that the public may not always agree with Duterte’s stances but still backs his administration.
There are people in the Philippines who do not consider human rights as the most important thing … To them, Duterte is popular because [he] is fighting drug addicts and drug traffickers.
This article was written by WANPEN PAJAI
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