The Philippines has scaled up its war on drugs with devastating consequences. President Rodrigo Duterte’s tough talk and anti-drug platform has led to a staggering number of vigilante killings and the mass incarceration of people associated with drug use and its trade. However, we’ve seen this before. 12 years ago, Thailand launched a bloody and ultimately futile war on drugs.
The new Philippine president is waging a tough drug war, pushing economic growth domestically and greater pragmatism in foreign policy that could contribute to Southeast Asia’s future.
The local business community is upbeat with the passing into law of Republic Act 10744, otherwise known as the Credit Surety Fund Cooperative Act of 2015 on 6 February 2016. Essentially, the said law provides for the creation and organization of the Credit Surety Fund (CSF) cooperatives to manage and administer credit surety funds and to enhance the accessibility of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); cooperatives; and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to bank credit facilities.
Duterte is gaining in the war on drugs, but at a terrifying cost to Filipino society. The Philippines is drowning in a wave of killings as the government of the newly proclaimed President Rodrigo Duterte combats the illegal drug trade. Except for a few human rights advocates, there has been no outcry from the population.
Since the election of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as the next Philippine president in a landslide victory on 9 May 2016, the regional and international media have highlighted his outrageous remarks on various sensitive topics. For instance, he backed the extra-judicial killings of drug dealers, alleged that journalists were killed because they were corrupt and called Philippine bishops critical of him ‘sons of whores’. None of these remarks has dented his domestic support.
Rodrigo Duterte took his oath of office as the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines on 30 June 2016. Duterte’s first seven days in office signals both reassurance and change, but it also foretells the complexity of what lies ahead for Philippine democracy.
The services sector dominates the Philippine economy. In 2015, it accounted for 59 percent of GDP and 54.5 percent of employment. In recent years the industry sector — which includes manufacturing and construction — has started to recover, growing faster than services. However, given its size, the services sector remains the key driver of the economy contributing more to GDP growth than all other sectors combined.
To the Philippines’ president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, the world is black and white, with hardly any shades of grey in between. His view informs his policy approach. His law and order platform, for example, promised change in a country riddled with poor infrastructure and public services, a high crime rate and deeply rooted corruption.
The Philippines has concluded its elections with Rodrigo Duterte coming from out of nowhere only to gallop passed better-known political figures and snatch the presidency. Duterte was a long-serving mayor of Davao City and, except for a brief tenure as a member of the House of Representatives, has not been a national political figure. Unlike other candidates who have long cherished the job, Duterte didn’t appear to harbour presidential ambitions until only a few months before the national elections in May 2016.
Some countries have become wary of China’s aspiration to become a maritime power because the means pursued by the Xi Jinping government — as seen in the disputed South China Sea — appear to ignore the legitimate interests of its smaller neighbours, flout existing international norms and pose risks to regional peace and stability.
