Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte is the former president of the Philippines, having served from June 30, 2016, until June 30, 2022. Losing presidential immunity after his term, he is facing legal challenges, including a potential arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. 

He is accused of crimes against humanity in relation to extrajudicial killings in the name of his anti-drug campaign as mayor of Davao City and later as president of the Philippine. Human rights groups estimate that more than 30,000 people, mostly poor small-time pushers and users, died in Duterte’s nationwide drug war. 

The legacy of the Duterte administration is characterized by significant shortcomings and controversies, among them: 

1. Violent war on drugs: The administration’s aggressive anti-drug campaign has been widely criticized for human rights violations and has led to numerous deaths.

2. Erosion of democratic norms: There has been a systematic undermining of democratic institutions, with attacks on the media, activists, and dissenters, which has raised concerns about the state of democracy in the Philippines.

3. Handling of the COVID-19 pandemic: The administration’s response to the pandemic has been described as a disaster. The Philippines had the longest lockdown in the world, completely opening up only after two years, and after initially denying the extent of the risks. Measly-funded businesses closely linked to Duterte’s inner circle bagged multi-billion pandemic contracts that turned out to be questionable. Human rights violations also attended the police’s implementation of the lockdown. 

4. Infrastructure initiatives: While there were ambitious infrastructure projects like the ‘Build, Build, Build’ initiative, the results have been mixed, with some projects left incomplete.

5. Foreign policy Issues: His administration’s foreign policy has been criticized for being overly subservient to China. He refused to assert the 2016 Hague ruling that said China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, encroaching on Philippine waters, were without basis. He had said he loved Xi Jinping and China, while being unfriendly with traditional democratic allies.  

6. Allegations of corruption and disinformation: There have been ongoing allegations of corruption, as well as the spread of disinformation through coordinated inauthentic behavior on social media. 

Duterte remains politically active, endorsing senatorial and local candidates, and goes personal in criticizing President Feedinand Marcos Jr. This was after the administration investigated his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for alleged fund misuse, and for removing audit-free confidential and intelligence funds from her office. 

He faces a new criminal complaint for urging in a speech delivered in February  2025 that Philippine senators be killed so as to create vacancies and increase the chances of his candidates.

Editors’ Note: This was produced with assistance from Rai, Rappler’s AI chatbot, that sources information from Rappler’s articles.