Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is the 17th president of the Philippines. He has come under fire for various reasons along his presidency. 

 that challenged the livelihoods and businesses of many Filipinos, with 

, to alleged corruption and violence against drug offenders. His 6 year term can be seen as prolific, but he still maintained an amazingly high approval rating. 

, Duterte had a 73% approval rating, which is even lower than earlier ratings he got - 91% in September and November of 2020. 

Rodrigo Duterte on the left, holding a rifle. 

He has reigned with an iron fist that some have said is corrupted with hypocrisy and greed. 

I will now review the highlights of this regime that left me speechless. 

It begins with a war on drugs and ends with a police-state backed by the fear of the virus. And while some things below might seem science fiction, it’s not. 

Duterte’s War on Drugs in The Philippines:

He made it clear he would kill all drug offenders. And so he did. Over 

 for petty offenses. Although the Human Rights Watch puts the number at 

"I will never, never apologize for the deaths," "Kill me, jail me, I will never apologize." 

The Philippines is definitely not the place to commit petty drug offenses. But even more weird is that he himself joked about smoking weed 

. And if that wasn’t enough, he also stated he uses 

President Duterte sat alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, previous leader of Myanmar before the 

He backtracked and said he was joking about cannabis consumption, but only when he was asked about it again. Let’s say it was all for laughs, it still doesn't take from the fact that his son has been

, an ex-senator, made public many pictures of Duterte’s son with known drug smugglers: 

I want to be clear all these pictures are on the 

. I did not photoshop or fabricate ant of these. 

Duterte’s Lockdowns: A Sequel to the War on Drugs?

Following Duterte’s violent war on drugs, many in the international community denounced how he turned the Philippines into a 

, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 

the country’s pandemic response for being highly militarized. 

Duterte rules with such an iron fist that most people were 

, much less protest against his government. 

With the large military presence on the streets, most people decided to simply stay home. One man was shot dead for violating quarantine rules and causing a disturbance. Police say he was armed with a toy gun and sticks. 

Many families did not just lose income as a result of the pandemic, but were also traumatized with the harsh measures of one of the longest and strictest lockdowns. 

While the military lockdown took place, the presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, was posting pictures on social media on vacation, while he 

 that the lockdown was “a year long vacation”. 

Harry Roque’s social media posts during the pandemic lockdown. 

For me, this is a classic case of “strongmen” that might think they are above the law (at least that’s the impression they give me). And the sad part is they might be. 

The population of The Philippines is young, and it’s easy to persuade people with 

WiIl it get better? I wouldn’t hold my breath

, since the son of the previous dictator has just been elected as the new President. 

Marcos "BongBong" - son of the last dictator and the new president - talks to his sister

And it seems that those that rise up, get silenced one way or the other. 

What’s left now is to see what the dictator's son does, but most importantly, what the international community allows. 

The Philippines is a strong ally of the U.S in a very important area - and for now, they seem to be looking the other way. 

Who is Rodrigo Duterte, "The Punisher"?

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