He brags and struts like a man on a mission to change the status quo; Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has really not been on his best behavior when it comes to conducting relations with other nations.
The latest in a series of controversies (this guy spanks his female police officers!) involving the self-styled, headline-grabbing reformist is the plan to terminate a deal with the United States that allows American troops into the Philippines, in a reaction to the US scrapping a major development aid package on the grounds of human rights abuses.
The Philippines had been in line for another aid package after its previous five-year, $434 million poverty reduction programme was successfully completed in May under Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.
He also declared that money given to the country by American anti-poverty groups isn’t needed, as he extended his appreciation to China for financial aid and expressed interest in establishing ties with Russia.
Since assuming office in June, Duterte’s war on drugs has been seen on one that riddled with illegalities and poor practice; according to a toll kept by the news agency, Al-Jazeera, more than 6,000 persons have been killed.
In Philippine, there is a shoot-on-sight order for suspected peddlers.
“I used to do it personally. If I can do it, why can’t you?” Duterte was quoted as saying while admitting that when he was the mayor of Davao City, he prowled the streets on a motorcycle looking for “an encounter to kill”, just to show to local law enforcers he was able to do so.
“Bye, bye America and work on the protocols that will eventually move you out of the Philippines,” Duterte said, adding that his decision would come very soon after reviewing another military deal, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The Filipino President has really been critical of the Obama administration. He has referred to American President Barrack Obama as a “son of a whore” and told him to “go to hell”, claiming he will not be lectured on human rights.
However, he has hinted at improved relations between Manilla and Washington under President-elect Donald Trump. “I like your mouth, it’s like mine, yes Mr President. We are similar and people with the same feathers flock together.”
Duterte’s regime has been characterised by shocking remarks while thinking out loud and giving in to exaggeration, all key to his image.
The US is not alone in condemnation of the Filipino President’s crackdown on drug pushing in his country as the United Nation, the Roman Catholic church, and the European Union have repeatedly warned of a violation of human rights
The prevalence rate of drug use in the Philippines increased to 2.3 percent representing 1.76 million individuals from a rate 1.8 percent or 1.3 million drug addicts in 2012, according to figures released by the Philippines’ Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) in 2015.
The DDB survey also indicated that more than 4.74 million persons in the country, or 6.1 percent of the population aged 10-69, have used illegal drugs at least once in their lifetime.
The agency’s noted that weaknesses in the implementation of anti-drug policies, as well as the slow justice system in carrying out sentences on drug-related cases, opened up the risk for drugs to be either lost, resold or taken back by drug lords and traffickers.
Despite the cries and allegations of poor practice in handling drug-related crimes in the Philippines, popularity for the controversial leader has not dimmed as many Filipinos feel like Duterte is the kind of politician needed to move the interests of the country.
Well, nobody can claim surprise at the actions in the Philippines. Duterte has promised during his presidential campaign “All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you,” he said before his election, in April. A month later, when he was President-elect, Duterte offered rewards for citizens that shot dealers dead.
Many citizens are of the opinion that regardless of his unguarded comments, the President can relate to the average Filipino working to make a living in the face of high crime rates and poverty.
71-year-old Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte was born in 1945 to a family with local political ties; his father was once a provincial governor and a mayor.
He trained as a lawyer rising to become state prosecutor, and eventually becoming mayor of Davao for over three decades. He built his reputation fighting some of the biggest problems facing the Philippines – crime, militancy and corruption and has vowed to replicate his efforts in Davao at a national level.
