Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (born March 28, 1945) is a populist reactionary anti-communist fascist dictator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He lead his country through a catastrophic "War on Drugs", which has killed around 30,000 people, mostly targeting the poor.
Pre-presidential life
He once joined the Kabataan Makabayan in the 1970s and he was a former student of the Communist Revolutionary Jose Maria Sison.
Presidency and Domestic Policies
His imfamous 'magnum opus" for his country is the catastrophic "War on Drugs", which has killed around 30,000 people, mostly targeting the urban poor. He also paid of paramiltaries and corrupt police officers to execute suspected "drug lords" to do his bidding.[1][2] He is infamous for bad-mouthing and swearing at his adversaries and potential rivals including Barrack Obama and Pope Francis. He claimed to be ex-gay, and said that homophobic slurs are acceptable. He introduced a policy of red-tagging attacks on legal activists and progressive forces.[3][4]During the COVID-19 pandemic, he proclaimed an “Anti-Terrorism” Law in 2020, specifically targeting journalists and activists who are against the government. He declared the CPP-NPA-NDF as “Terrorist Organizations”[5] and indefinetly ended all Peace Talks with the NDFP since 2019.[6] He initiated the Build! Build! Build! Program to further build the infastructure of the country nationwide (with the help of foreign enterprises of course), at the detriment of agricultural and indigenous lands which led to their destruction and displacement.[7][8]
Foreign Policy
Duterte has claimed to be anti-imperialist and that he will set out an "independent foreign policy", but he has shifted his country's foreign colicy closer to the People's Republic of China[9][10] and the Russian Federation[11][12]. Duterte admitted to agreeing to a "gentlemen's agreement" with Xi Jinping in keeping the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, comprimising Filipino sovereignty against Chinese social imperialism of island grabbing and illegal fishing.[13][14]
Arrest by the International Criminal Court
Rodrigo Duterte Was arrested by the International Criminal Court on the 12th of March, 2025, on charges of crimes against humanity of murder, torture and rape. His crimes were mostly in relation to his previous mayoral actions such as the Davao Death Squad and his War on Drugs. He is currently in the Hague, Netherlands on trial.[15]
References
- ↑ "Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ in the Philippines – explained in 30 seconds".The Guardian
- ↑ Jose Maria Sison (April 2, 2019)."The Duterte War on Drugs is Fake".Philippine Revolution Web Central
- ↑ Cristina Palabay. "Karapatan: Red-tagging used to incite violence vs HRDs by branding them as enemies of the State".KARAPATAN
- ↑ Vera Files. [https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-dangers-red-tagging-under-anti-terrori " VERA FILES FACT SHEET: The dangers of red-tagging under the Anti-Terrorism Law"].
- ↑ Jhoanna Ballaran. "Duterte declares CPP, NPA as terrorist organizations".Philippine Daily Inquirer
- ↑ EJ Roque (March 21, 2019). "Duterte permanently ends peace talks with Reds".Philippine News Agency
- ↑ Roja Banua (January 19, 2022)."Oppose Build, Build, Build’s aggressive upheaval of Bikolanos’ lives and livelihood!".Philippine Revolution Web Central
- ↑ Leilani Chavez."A Philippine tribe that defeated a dam prepares to fight its reincarnation".Indigenous People's Major Group for Sustainable Development
- ↑ Sebastian Strangio (September 24, 2024)."Parsing the Philippines’ ‘Pivot’ to China Under Rodrigo Duterte"The Diplomat.
- ↑ Anna Malindog-Uy (December 27, 2021)."Duterte Legacy: China Relations And Foreign Policy"The ASEAN Post.
- ↑ "Duterte cuts short trip to Russia after declaring martial law in southern Philippines".The Guardian
- ↑ "Rodrigo Duterte slams western 'hypocrisy' as he meets Putin".The Guardian
- ↑ Mong Palatino (April 5, 2024)."Ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ with China Under Scrutiny".The Diplomat
- ↑ Communist Party of the Philippines (July 2, 2019)."Duterte is strengthening case for his impeachment".Philippine Revolution Web Central
- ↑ International Criminal Court."Flashback: "Situation in the Philippines: Rodrigo Roa Duterte in ICC custody".