Philippines: Where fear no longer helps Duterte

The term of office of the Philippine President Duterte ends in one year, he is not allowed to run again. His brutal anti-drug war made him popular for a long time, but that changes in the pandemic.

Just like Hitler wanted to slaughter the millions of drug addicts in the Philippines, the president of one of the largest democracies in Southeast Asia once said in a public address. Rodrigo Duterte made wild threats to the US President, the United Nations and China. In a predominantly Catholic country, he insulted the Pope as a “son of a bitch”.

Duterte begins his tirades in English, but when he talks himself in a rage, he switches to Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, in the middle of a sentence. His failures regularly trigger great outrage internationally, sometimes even diplomatic entanglements. The majority of Filipinos, however, give the outgoing president a good report card after five years.

“If you have to shoot, shoot them dead”

Ultimately, his presidency only knows one topic: the fight against drugs. He wanted to fill the Bay of Manila with the blood of criminals, the hitherto largely unknown local politician had promised to the cheers of the crowd in a campaign speech ahead of the 2016 presidential election. An estimated three million Filipinos were addicted at the time. Shabu – a cheap chemical drug – was sold even in remote villages. In Manila, dealer gangs ruled entire districts – no-go areas even for the police, parents never shut their eyes to fear when their children went out at night.

Duterte promised to make the country safe. And was elected. Then he let the dogs off the chain. Heavily armed police units combed the slums, arrested, searched and intimidated. “If you have to shoot, shoot them dead,” he called to his police officers, and they did. More than 7,000 people died from police bullets, often with their hands raised, videos show. The security forces were supported by private death squads who shot suspected dealers, addicts or bystanders from motorcycles in front of their homes.

In many huts along the narrow aisles in the slums, mothers, children and wives could be seen crying in front of coffins and begging for donations because they could not pay for the funeral. Thousands of dealers surrendered because they would rather go to jail than be shot by the police. Duterte didn’t solve the drug problem, but he swept it off the streets.

From the “capital of murderers” to the “safest city”

Of course they turn up their noses at the uncouth peasant booby in educated circles. His embarrassing rabble, the macho demeanor, the violence. But people also see that their cities have become safer. That the children are no longer approached by dealers on the way to school.

Especially in Davao, they almost love Duterte. Duterte was mayor of the city on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao for 20 years. Davao was known as the “capital of the murderers”, then Duterte cleaned up. He later boasted that he drove through the streets with a motorcycle and a gun to shoot criminals. To show his police officers: “If I can do it – so can you.” Here, too, death squads were deployed for state authority. But since then Davao has won one prize after another: greenest city, safest city, most gender-friendly or most child-friendly city.

Duterte is now the Mayor of the Philippines. At least that’s how he runs the country. A rogue guy who cares. In the past, for example, people ricocheted off an arrogant administration; today there are citizen telephones. That doesn’t change the catastrophic administrative swamp, the corruption, the ailing infrastructure, the rotten health system, the dysfunctional justice system and above all – the poverty. Nonetheless, it makes people feel more serious about their government.

Usual means as an answer to Corona

At the same time, the president has his most outspoken critic, Senator Leila de Lima, arrested on questionable drug charges. The largest critical television station was closed due to license investments. Meanwhile, blood continues to flow on the streets of Filipino cities. Not just from alleged dealers, addicts and random victims. But also from journalists who report critically about police violence or who have made entrepreneurs into enemies. Contract killers are approved in the poor country, the perpetrators are almost never caught. Many reporters carry guns and change their way to work every day. The Manila Press Club offers shooting courses for journalists.

Duterte reacted to the corona pandemic with the usual means: He sent police officers into the slums and threatened those who did not obey the rules with shooting. The numbers are rising dramatically to this day, only ten percent of the population are vaccinated, there is not enough serum. Greater Manila is currently entering a new, hard lockdown again. Unemployment rose to over 45 percent. Since there is no functioning social security system, for many this means: poverty and hunger. And for the first time, dissatisfaction with its president is growing stronger. Whoever succeeds Rodrigo Duterte in the coming year is taking on a difficult legacy.