On May 9th, the 2016 Philippines Presidential election was won by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
Although the formal results will not be released for a few weeks, his primary opponent conceded
the win.
But Duterte is not an altogether popular figure.
In the United States he has been directly compared to candidate Donald Trump for his
inflammatory and often inappropriate remarks.
So, who exactly is this Donald Trump of the East?
Well, for the last two decades, Rodrigo Duterte has been the mayor of Davao City in southern
Philippines.
His time in office has been marked by an unorthodox style, described as being strong on crime,
and earning him the nickname of “The Punisher”.
He was regularly known to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle to patrol the city while
carrying a .38 caliber handgun in his waistband.
While mayor, crime rates fell significantly, however, his methods have been widely criticized.
He has openly tolerated the killing of alleged criminals by an unauthorized death squad that
patrols the city, and has himself said that those committing illegal activity were legitimate
targets of assassination.
While human rights groups have condemned his remarks and actions, others agree that the
Philippine justice system is inadequate to deal with dangerous crime.
Duterte has even promised to kill thousands of criminals if elected, saying "I do not
want to be president.
I do not want to kill people so do not elect me as president."
Nonetheless, Duterte won the presidency with an estimated 39% of the vote compared to his
two main opponent’s who received roughly 21 and 23%.
And his popularity is not entirely surprising.
As in the United States with Trump, many voters are tired of dynastic, elite, establishment
candidates.
The incumbent president was the son of the 11th Philippine president, and Duterte’s
leading opponent is the grandson of the fifth president.
And under the last few presidents, crime has continued to be a major problem, and the US
state department has even put out warning against travel to certain parts of the Philippines.
Like Trump, Duterte is an outsider, although unlike Trump, Duterte is from a lower class
background, and relatively progressive on some social issues.
He is openly pro-LGBT rights, and while mayor he passed the first and only “Women Development
Code” which upholds women’s civil rights and works to end discrimination.
The Philippines is actually one of the most female-friendly countries in Southeast Asia,
ranking sixth worldwide according to the Global Gender Gap Report.
Still, Duterte has also been criticized for his misogynistic comments, and in 2015 admitted
to being a “womanizer”.
The 71-year old politician also said he couldn’t live without Viagra, and in 2016 he also joked
about raping a murdered Australian female missionary during a campaign event, although
he later apologized for his language, stating that it was a “bad remark” made out of
anger.
During a visit by Pope Francis to the 86% Catholic country, Dutetre called the Pope
a “son of a whore”, for which he also apologized.
And besides his controversial remarks, Duterte has promised to be a dictator against “evil”
as president, which includes abolishing Congress if they were to threaten impeachment, and
pardoning himself for mass murder.
Clearly, despite his popularity and socially progressive stances, Duterte has also admitted
his involvement with extrajudicial murder squads, and his comments about women and others
like Pope Francis have been wholly inappropriate.
At the very least, Trump isn’t confirmed to have killed people in the street, although
he HAS said that such an act would not lose him any voters.
In both the Philippines and the US, aggressive and upfront rhetoric is clearly an effective
political tool.
Duterte’s presidency could have a big impact on regional disputes like the South China
Sea.
While the former president refused to negotiate with China, Duterte said he will take a conciliatory
stance, which may change the nature of the conflict.
To learn more about the tensions in the South China Sea, watch our video at the top.
And to learn more about the political climate that has led to Duterte’s election, watch
this video on Phillipines' Power.
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