Rodrigo Duterte Phillipine 'Vigilante' President Elect

Amadaeus

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Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte[6] (born March 28, 1945), also known by the nickname Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and politician of Visayan descent who is the President-elect of the Philippines after topping the official Congressional canvass for the 2016 election.[7][8][9] Duterte will become the first Mindanaoan president of the country.[10]

Duterte is among the longest-serving mayors in the Philippines and has been Mayor of Davao City, a highly urbanized city on Mindanao island, for seven terms, totalling more than 22 years. He has also served as vice-mayor and as congressman for the city.

Popular with the locals due to his successful zero tolerance policies against criminals, he earned the nickname "The Punisher". Vigilante groups tied to Duterte are thought to be responsible for the execution of drug traffickers, criminals, gang members and other lawless elements. Over a period of 20 years, he turned Davao City from the "murder capital of the Philippines" to what tourism organisations now describe as "the most peaceful city in southeast Asia," and what numbeo.com ranks as the world's fourth safest place.[11][12][13] Nonetheless, Duterte has drawn criticism from various sources, particularly the press and the Philippine National Police leadership in the Aquino government, which contest the effectiveness of his policies.[14]

Source: Wikipedia

So, this is a thread for Phillipine new president. He seems to be loved by his people and his zero tolerance policy and hardline approach has gather some attention across the globe. I expect to see him more in the news in the future if his character does not change.
 

Amadaeus

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Yeah, saw a bit about him today. Wonder how he feels about the gays?
Surprisingly his viewpoint is not that alarming.

"Duterte, who confessed to have gay friends and relatives, said that his heart is very soft towards gay people as they were created by God, and that all human beings were created in the image of God.

Asked if he will push for legalizing same sex marriage if elected president, he said that he would not push for it, citing the civil code of the Philippines, which is based on universally accepted Christian tenets."
 

Snow

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A TV show about that vigilante group of his could be The Shield on steroids. Great that he's so soft towards gay people.
 

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Just wanted to share a few thoughts as i'm in the country working for the last few years.

This place has major problems. It is hugely corrupt here, government - police - all the way down. Most of the wealth of the country is tied up in the hands of legacy elite families (Energy, Retail, Construction etc). The income gap is immense.

This country should be picked up and moved to the coast of South America as it resembles Mexico more than its neighbours. The Philippines was colonised by Spain. The Philippines is named after King Philip of Spain. it is about 90% Catholic with a small Muslim population down south. For years the Catholic church has had a huge influence here...still does. Abortion is illegal, divorce is illegal. Unless you are wealthy you cannot afford to get an 'annulment' (Duterte has an annulment, and i've met a few other filipino men in senior positions who have managed to get an annulment - you can't get one if you're poor.)

I bring this up as the root cause of most of the problems here can be linked back to overpopulation. Contraceptives are available - condoms / the pill, but that's just over the last decade. For the poor, they can't afford these things. Right outside my office is a shanty town. One of hundreds in Manila. there's about 3-4 kids per mother. There are no real social safety nets here. Which means Filipinos pay for decent medical care and schooling. The public schools and hospitals are a wreck. The horror stories that come out of the public hospital down the road.....

These people have been brainwashed by the church, the church actively tried to prevent any kind of access to contraceptives. the church continues to fight against a pending sex education bill that has been stuck in congress for something like 20 years.

The poor keep having babies.

From my view the single biggest positive Duterte is bringing is an attack on this situation. He's not friends with the Bishops. They were against him during his race as he is pro 'family planning' (notice he's not even saying he's pro divorce/abortion and he's getting shit from the church). Now that he's won the presidential race the bishops are apparently asking him for favours and money now. He recently called the bishops 'sons of whores' was all over the media here. And he want's families to limit the number of children to 3. It's a start.

Duterte is saying a lot of big things, 'wipe out crime', 'wipe out police corruption' etc etc. He's just like a normal politician in that respect. They make a lot of noise here, there's lots of machismo (Pacquiao screwed up during his rally by criticising gays and lost his Nike contract). If he can do any of this remains to be seen, as there will be a lot of powerful people with a lot to lose. Don't let this tough guy image totally fool you though, he's no idiot, he's a trained lawyer and has his City of Davao in a death grip. they go on about vigilante groups and low crime down there. You are also not allowed to smoke a cigarette, anywhere, apart from your own home. Nowhere in public. A whole non smoking city in a third world country. Imagine that. He's got clout, but that's just Davao.

The worry is he's going down the road of the dictator. Kill the criminals. Kill the corrupt police. Kill the corrupt journalists. And the last domino will be to take out your political opponents.

Interesting to note. Joseph Estrada has just won re-election to Mayor of Manila. This is the former president of the Philippines found guilty of Plundering the country. went to jail. came out. Mayor of Manila.

It's really fecked here guys. The filipinos are just sick of it all and wanted a change. they see nothing getting better over the previous administrations and they're gambling with Duterte. They know it's dangerous, but they're sick and tired of the way things are, with elites keeping everything to themselves.

Lets see how this goes. the first interesting thing will be the Philippine Peso exchange rate come the end of this month. If it tanks it's a good indicator the global finance world has no confidence the Philippines will maintain it's economic growth rate. One thing that will truly gut this place is foreign investment drying up.
 

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Aye. But it's the American influence you feel mostly. It must be the only South East Asian country where nobody watches football. They don't know who Man Utd are. They don't know who Real Madrid are. They know who Lebron James is though... Basketball, and Boxing (when they have a good fighter) are the only sports they follow. And every team is named after their sponsor. San Miguel Beer vs Alaska Milk was the big 7 game final here this year. Mindblowing stuff, some really sick lay ups, and a few dunks from the odd failed NBA guy that's wound up over here.
 

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Probably controversial, but I'd put this guy closer to the mould of someone like Lee Kuan Yew rather than Kim Jong Il. Hard man with no time for Western liberal sensitivities but surprisingly tolerant to minorities.

He's already come out and denounced the Chinese strongly over South China Sea territorial disputes. Certainly not shying from a fight.
 

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Aye. But it's the American influence you feel mostly. It must be the only South East Asian country where nobody watches football. They don't know who Man Utd are. They don't know who Real Madrid are. They know who Lebron James is though... Basketball, and Boxing (when they have a good fighter) are the only sports they follow. And every team is named after their sponsor. San Miguel Beer vs Alaska Milk was the big 7 game final here this year. Mindblowing stuff, some really sick lay ups, and a few dunks from the odd failed NBA guy that's wound up over here.
Well it´s a good thing the US has spent trillions to keep the Chinese in check in Asia.
 

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The chinese has so much land, it's 21st century no Country in their right mind would want or can annex a nation these days.

I dont think china is a threat as in a real physical troop deploying annexation. They rather do business than war.

They have business venture all across the globe and the sleeping dragon is now a real threat to American economy.

Sometimes i wish the us would just leave other people's business, they have had hands on most nations changes across the century. Vietnam, korea, Afghanistan, iraq and that their ground forces alone, who knows what the cia did behind the screen topling regimes and black ops, but that's another debate

@Nobby style
 

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Just wanted to share a few thoughts as i'm in the country working for the last few years.

....

It's really fecked here guys. The filipinos are just sick of it all and wanted a change. they see nothing getting better over the previous administrations and they're gambling with Duterte. They know it's dangerous, but they're sick and tired of the way things are, with elites keeping everything to themselves.

Lets see how this goes. the first interesting thing will be the Philippine Peso exchange rate come the end of this month. If it tanks it's a good indicator the global finance world has no confidence the Philippines will maintain it's economic growth rate. One thing that will truly gut this place is foreign investment drying up.
Great post. We have loads of Filipinos in Toronto. From the ones I've met they seem like lovely, hardworking people but, as you say, a bit too pious. Let's hope this works out for them.
 

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The chinese has so much land, it's 21st century no Country in their right mind would want or can annex a nation these days.

I dont think china is a threat as in a real physical troop deploying annexation. They rather do business than war.

They have business venture all across the globe and the sleeping dragon is now a real threat to American economy.

Sometimes i wish the us would just leave other people's business, they have had hands on most nations changes across the century. Vietnam, korea, Afghanistan, iraq and that their ground forces alone, who knows what the cia did behind the screen topling regimes and black ops, but that's another debate

@Nobby style
Yeah, what I was saying was in jest. The Philippines has been under the American sphere of influence for over a hundred years and you can see the state of their democracy. But you´ll still hear these clowns running around justifying these insane military expenditures cause we have to keep China and the big bad Putin in check and hardly anyone bats an eye. But my god, you talk about the expenditures for college education or health care and you would think the world is going to end with this massive give away of free stuff
 

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http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/05/politics/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-barack-obama/
The White House on Monday canceled President Obama's upcoming meeting with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

...

White House officials previously said Obama would confront the Philippines President about his country's handling of drug dealers, including extra-judicial killings, or government executions without the benefit of judicial proceedings.

But the Filipino leader did not take kindly to that notion, saying Obama had better think twice about raising the issue of the killings.

"Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people," Duterte scoffed in a speech Monday. "Son of a b****, I will swear at you."


Duterte went on to blame the US for causing the unrest on the southern Philippines Island of Mindanao.

"As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States," he said. "Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people. Everybody has a terrible record of extra-judicial killing. Why make an issue about fighting crime?"

He added: "Look at the human rights of America along that line. The way they treat the migrants there."

In response, Obama suggested earlier Monday his planned meeting with Duterte may not go forward.

"I always want to make sure if I'm having a meeting that it's productive and we're getting something done," Obama said during his news conference.


"If and when we have a meeting, this is something that is going to be brought up," Obama said, referring to the Philippines' controversial record of combating drug crime since Duterte took office earlier this year.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...gs-killed-2-400-three-months-Philippines.html

Badarse...or more than likely the next Kim Jong Un. Nevertheless, I would love to see how he reacts when China continues to bolster its presence in the South China Sea. He does not seem like a president who can be diplomatic.
 

utdalltheway

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Supposedly he said about Obama "putang ina" which translates better as son of a whore.
Strong words indeed :houllier:
 

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Supposedly he said about Obama "putang ina" which translates better as son of a whore.
Strong words indeed :houllier:
It's the standard Filipino insult, 'putang ina mo' is the equivalent of English 'absolute cnut' or American 'motherfecker'.

Not the best way to go about official business though :lol:
 

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Could not stop laughing watching this.. Not diplomatic at all but at time you just have to get it off the chest...
 

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To be fair to Obama I liked his response. Just cancelled the meeting and is now meeting the South Koreans instead. Was basically like "I only having meetings if there's any point to them".

Duterte may think he's Billy big bollocks but he's going to have to learn a bit about diplomacy especially when it comes to his major allies.
 

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I wouldn't go anywhere near the Philippines at the moment. Who knows what someone could make up and kill you for.

Encouraging murder for lesser crimes is fecking insane.
 

utdalltheway

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I wouldn't go anywhere near the Philippines at the moment. Who knows what someone could make up and kill you for.

Encouraging murder for lesser crimes is fecking insane.
The going rate for a hit man has always been fairly cheap in the Philippines so things haven't changed that much. The key is not to piss off the wrong people. Same as always.
 

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I felt that as soon as I got to the Philippines. I was there for a couple of months recently. It feels very south American - I couldn't believe we were in Asia and only a couple of hundred of miles away from the likes of Taiwan.
The names of people and places, the cuisine, the architecture, the religion are heavily influenced by the Spanish. I personally loved the place, not only was it a place of unlimited natural beauty but the people are by far the friendliest of any I encountered whilst trevelling around SE Asia.
The woman are very motherly, very strong catholics, very decent people. I remember not being able to access any money from the local atm on a very remote part of Cebu and the locals gave us food and accommodation without charge until I was able to get money out (after going 80km out the way the following day with a filipino guy who offered to take me).

After speaking to alot of filipinos out there I realised how serious corruption has been over the years. The general concensus I got was that Duterte is the man to clamp down on it all. Most of the Filipinos I spoke to supported him. I remember one night speaking to a group of Filipino men ranging between 25 - 60 years old and they said Pacquiao would never be a good politician for the Philippines as he is too soft and would bow down to the west. They also said they despised the Spanish and that they ruined the country. They told me that they would have been better off if they were colonised by the Japanese! It is such an intriguing part of the world.

Rubberman's post is very true.
 

Abizzz

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Yeah i'm not going anywhere near the Philippines either (Not that I was planing to).

If they admit to 4000 being murdered how many do you reckon they don't admit to?

Is there anything Filipino I can stop buying in protest!? I genuinely have no clue what they might export.
 

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Yeah i'm not going anywhere near the Philippines either (Not that I was planing to).

If they admit to 4000 being murdered how many do you reckon they don't admit to?

Is there anything Filipino I can stop buying in protest!? I genuinely have no clue what they might export.
Lots of coconuts.
 

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If you have no intention of doing blows, you'd be fairly safe there.

The way you lot go on and on in this thread, it sounds like Syria.

I've been chased by crack heads with knives in Singapore, you'd have thought it's the safest place on earth.
 

Abizzz

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If you have no intention of doing blows, you'd be fairly safe there.

The way you lot go on and on in this thread, it sounds like Syria.

I've been chased by crack heads with knives in Singapore, you'd have thought it's the safest place on earth.
Yeah I really don't intend on spending my time in a society that treats its fellow citizens like that.

How many innocents you reckon have been killed with 4000 officially confirmed? I'm not taking any chances.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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Yeah I really don't intend on spending my time in a society that treats its fellow citizens like that.

How many innocents you reckon have been killed with 4000 officially confirmed? I'm not taking any chances.
It's like pretty much any other place on this planet. There are safe zones and dodgy zones and outright dangerous sites in every country. With a decent local guide, a bit of money in your pocket to grease the officials and precaution, you can be safe.

I have a few Pinoy friends. They said daily life there haven't changed much. Western media tend to sensationalise a lot. You have to understand the mindset. Drug dealers and violent criminals are thought of as extremely scummy in SEA. No one'd bat an eye knowing they've been killed on site. We have people in Vietnam beaten to death by mob for stealing dogs.
 

Abizzz

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It's like pretty much any other place on this planet. There are safe zones and dodgy zones and outright dangerous sites in every country. With a decent local guide, a bit of money in your pocket to grease the officials and precaution, you can be safe.

I have a few Pinoy friends. They said daily life there haven't changed much. Western media tend to sensationalise a lot. You have to understand the mindset. Drug dealers and violent criminals are thought of as extremely scummy in SEA. No one'd bat an eye knowing they've been killed on site. We have people in Vietnam beaten to death by mob for stealing dogs.
No. And I don't find it an acceptable mindset at all, it is incompatible with my values as a human.

To me Duarte and his "police" are extremely scummy, yet I wouldn't treat them like that.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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No. And I don't find it an acceptable mindset at all, it is incompatible with my values as a human.

To me Duarte and his "police" are extremely scummy, yet I wouldn't treat them like that.
Good on you :)

My point still stand though. It's not the hellhole as it's been portrayed here.
 

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It's like pretty much any other place on this planet. There are safe zones and dodgy zones and outright dangerous sites in every country. With a decent local guide, a bit of money in your pocket to grease the officials and precaution, you can be safe.

I have a few Pinoy friends. They said daily life there haven't changed much. Western media tend to sensationalise a lot. You have to understand the mindset. Drug dealers and violent criminals are thought of as extremely scummy in SEA. No one'd bat an eye knowing they've been killed on site. We have people in Vietnam beaten to death by mob for stealing dogs.
Ok, so I haven't been to a lot of places...nine or ten countries but I've never needed to bring along extra cash to grease officials and I think that any nation in which a tourist needs to do this has significant issues.
 

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Ok, so I haven't been to a lot of places...nine or ten countries but I've never needed to bring along extra cash to grease officials and I think that any nation in which a tourist needs to do this has significant issues.
Spent a couple months there a few years back, never had to pay a penny to any officials.