1stGear posted:

Is the drug problem in the country actually as serious as Duterte supporters claim?

quote:

To compensate for the foregone revenues from lower personal income tax take, earlier pegged by the Department of Finance at P139 billion, the Duterte administration proposes the following compensating measures:

expand the value-added tax (VAT) base by limiting exemptions to raw food as well as other necessities such as education and health;

increase the excise tax on petroleum products and index it to inflation;

levy a tax on sugary products;

relax bank secrecy for fraud cases, and

include tax evasion as a predicate crime to money laundering.

quote:

The second package planned for passage in June next year will reduce the corporate income tax rate to 25 percent from 30 percent over time and simplify provisions to improve compliance.

Disharmony posted:

To be fair with Duterte though, his heart is in the right place and has a can-do attitude that allowed him to pull off some surprising none-drug related poo poo faster than I thought. The 911 hotline has been doing well, the Freedom of Information bill, even the MRT is back to running decently (comparable to 5 years ago) - and its barely been two months.

Kthulhu5000 posted:

Out of curiosity, what is classified as an illegal drug in the Philippines? gradenko_2000 mentioned meth and cocaine use as a thing, but how wide is the spectrum?

Argue posted:

Edit: vvvvv Honestly, if you're middle class or above, aside from 911 now working (and laughably conflicting with Pizza Hut's delivery hotline), you'll never feel a difference in terms of safety. This whole thing is a big check-your-privilege reality check for me, and I'm annoyed that a lot of my middle-class Duterte-supporting friends don't.

gradenko_2000 posted:

A "matrix" of leaders and personalities behind the Philippine drug trade:

gradenko_2000 posted:

quote:

But how bad is the Philippine drug problem? According to UNODC data, the highest ever recorded figure for the prevalence of amphetamine use (expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15 to 64) in the Philippines is 2.35. That is a high figure, but then the equivalent figure for the U.S. is 2.20, and the world’s real amphetamine crisis is among Australian males, where the prevalence is 2.90.

When it comes to illicit opioid use, the Philippine prevalence rate is just 0.05, compared to 5.41 in the U.S., and 3.30 in Australia. For cocaine, the Philippine figure is only 0.03. In the U.K., it is 2.40, in Australia 2.10 and in the U.S. also 2.10.

gradenko_2000 posted:

Here's a document from the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, back in 2001, where drug trafficking is described as the #1 domestic threat to the country, with an estimated 1.7 million regular drug users, or about 2% of the country's population at the time.

Donkwich posted:

I dunno, I'm pretty nervous about the guy seen in "cockpit areas" (whatever that means).

PT6A posted:

Heroin is a "safer drug"? What kind of deadly-rear end poo poo is going around over there? Heroin and other opiates are killing more people here than any other drug by far.

quote:

“Madame Justice, you are again wrong when you said, ‘Do not allow yourself arrested without a warrant.’ [More people will die because of that],” he said.

The President said Sereno’s statements would promote anarchy.

“It is a very dangerous statement. You will promote anarchy. There is no anarchy under my watch,” he said.

The 71-year old Chief Executive explained that a warantless arrest was possible if a crime was “committed in your presence.”

Sereno earlier cautioned the judges identified by Duterte as those with links to the illegal drug trade not to surrender to any police officers in the absence of a warrant of arrest.

Duterte told Sereno not to issue such statements.

“Ma’am, I am sorry. But please do not give such statements,” he said.

He challenged the Chief Justice to walk on the streets and find out how his war on drugs and criminality had improved the situation.

“At no other time [is the] streets of Manila almost freed of criminals. [Walk the streets] ma’am and find out,” he said.

quote:

These judges, they're sarcastic idiots ... even me, when I was a public prosecutor, I don't have to name them but, there was this one judge, I really kicked him. Kicked him right there in his office.

He didn't want to sign. So I was having my doubts about him, and the police were getting antsy. This motherfucker might have been working for the other side. I say to him "Judge, you motherfucker, I'll kick you out." He said, "Yeah? Go ahead."

So I went down to his office, and I kicked him. I told him "You want me to shoot you?" He said "No, don't"

Helsing posted:

So if the government is gearing up to purge part of the judiciary along with all these officials then is this essentially a coup?

doodlebugs posted:

I was watching finipinio news on SBS and they talk in tagalog but they occasionally speak a complete sentance in perfect English WTF is up with that

Ytlaya posted:

Given that the drug situation is not actually nearly as severe as Duterte portrays it, why exactly is Duterte so incredibly popular? I mean, Trump certainly has a significant support base in the US, but nothing near the almost ubiquitous support Duterte seems to have.

Xelkelvos posted:

The FPTP thing in the Philippines is pretty maddening too all things considered. The whole government structure was copied wholesale from the US at the time iirc with little consideration as to how and why those particular things were put into place. With an essentially cemented two party system, FPTP is no different than most other forms of voting, but with more than two very large political organizations at play, FPTP becomes a nightmarish thing particularly because it seems there's no galvanizing reason to merge parties beyond "gently caress that guy/party" and once that's done, the whole coalition/makeshift party breaks apart because of corruption and favoritism or the fear of it happening to them, putting all of the people from one of the pre-merged parties into positions of power and all of the others told to hit the bricks.

quote:

EXPLAINER: How serious is the PH drug problem? Here's the data

1) The latest official estimate of drug users in the country is 1.3 million as of 2012.

Perhaps the first relevant statistic in any drug war is an estimate of the extent of drug use. After all, drug-related crimes ultimately stem from drug use.

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte said that, based on data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), there were about “3 million drug addicts” in the country “two or 3 years ago,” and possibly 3.7 million now.

However, a closer look shows that relevant drug law agencies came up with much lower official statistics in recent years.

In 2008, a survey conducted by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) estimated a much lower figure of 1.7 million drug users nationwide (1.9% of the 2008 population). In 2012, the DDB in cooperation with the Philippine Normal University came up with a separate study that put the figure to be even lower at 1.3 million (1.3% of the 2012 population).

Both figures actually represent a huge decline of drug users from the 6.7 million reported by the DDB way back in 2004. It appears, then, that the extent of drug use in the country seems to have actually gone down from 2004 to 2012 (6.7 million to 1.3 million) – or a total decline of 81% in 8 years.

The DDB attributed this steep decline to supply and demand reduction efforts, like "intensified operations" of drug law enforcement agencies and "drug demand reduction programs."

2) The number of drug-related raids and arrests in 2014 were the highest in a decade.

First, note there was a significant drop in drug arrests and raids around 2004, and the trend started to increase around 2013. In fact, the number of drug raids and arrests conducted by PDEA in 2014 was the highest since 2004 and 2006, respectively. The number of admissions into drug rehabilitation centers also increased to more than 10,000 in 2014.

3) Rehab patients tend to be male, poor, and addicted to shabu.

First, rehab patients are overwhelmingly male (around 10 males for every female), and the mean age is around 30 years. Nearly a third have reached some level of college while over a quarter have reached some level of high school.

The unemployed are more likely to be in rehab than the employed, while more out-of-school youths are in rehab than students. Three out of 4 rehab patients have a monthly family income of less than P11,000 (just above the poverty threshold), while the average monthly income of rehab patients is around P16,000.

quote:

‘Junkies are not humans’
DEFINE HUMAN BEING, DUTERTE TELLS RIGHTS GROUPS

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Junkies are not humans.

That is how President Rodrigo Duterte sees drug users whose bodies are piling up as he presses his brutal war on drugs.

International human rights groups and the United Nations have raised concern about the killings, but Mr. Duterte, addressing soldiers at a military camp in his hometown Davao City on Friday night, said those groups should review their concept of human rights.

“These human rights (advocates) did not count those who were killed before I became President. The children who were raped and mutilated [by drug users],” he said.

“That’s why I said, ‘[W]hat crime against humanity?’ In the first place, I’d like to be frank with you, are they (drug users) humans? What is your definition of a human being? Tell me,” he said.

Mr. Duterte, 71, was angry at persistent criticism of his bloody crackdown on the illegal drug trade, which he launched right after taking office on June 30, with instructions to police to kill suspects who would resist arrest.

He promised bounties and protection from prosecution for officers who would kill drug lords, drawing criticism from UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard.

“Directives of this nature are irresponsible in the extreme and amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law,” Callamard said in a statement posted last week on the website of the UN high commissioner for human rights.

“Claims to fight illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings,” she said.

UN special rapporteur on the right to health Dainius Puras added that the fight against illegal drugs must “respect the human rights of each person.”

[...]

‘Use human rights properly’

In his speech to troops here on Friday night, he said those criticizing his war on drugs should use the concept of human rights “properly in the right context if you have the brains.”

“Now, if your gray matter between the ears is melting, I cannot help you if that’s your understanding,” he said.

The Philippine National Police chief, Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, told a Senate inquiry last week that 1,946 drug suspects had been killed since the launch of the campaign.

Of those killings, 756 were by police and the rest by other killers and the cases were under investigation, he said.

Police say the other killers could be vigilantes or drug syndicates, whose members are killing each other.

Mr. Duterte argued that the deaths were necessary because a war could not be waged without killing.

Military camps for rehab

He, however, asked the military to make available its camps for the rehabilitation of more than 700,000 drug users who had turned themselves in for fear of ending up dead.

“Give a little space, in the mountain, not here (in the city). You cannot rehabilitate these guys there if they remain (here). You have to isolate them,” Mr. Duterte said.

“And for those that cannot be repaired … these are really the (legally insane). They become dysfunctional,” he said.

Interestingly, Mr. Duterte has never referred to drug users as “victims” who can still recover from addiction, as claimed by individuals and institutions involved in drug rehabilitation programs.

Mr. Duterte claimed that experts from the United States had told him that continued use of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) for one year would “shrink the brain,” putting the users beyond redemption.

He said his critics should understand the extent of the drug problem in the Philippines, where there are 3.7 million people hooked on illegal drugs.

“This is no easy problem,” he said. “This will pull down this country.”

Again, Mr. Duterte lambasted the United Nations and other critics of his war on drugs.

He said the United Nations broke protocols when it issued a statement expressing concern about the killings.

“When I was mayor, you can really criticize me … call me names. But these dimwits forgot that I’m now a President and I represent a country,” Mr. Duterte said.

“Do not go outside to the media and start blabbering your mouth because I represent a sovereign state,” he said.

Mr. Duterte said he did not care about what human rights advocates and experts from the United Nations were saying about his campaign against drugs.

“My business is to protect the people of the Philippines and keep intact the integrity of the republic. That is my solemn and sacred duty,” he said.

blackguy32 posted:

Super interesting. I work with almost all Filipinos (most of them seem to gravitate to night shift at hospitals) and some like that the voting system doesn't seem corrupt anymore yet dislike the current president.

quote:

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte wants his fiercest critic in Congress, Senator Leila De Lima, to step down.

"[You should resign], you resign," said Duterte, addressing De Lima during a short speech on Monday, August 29, in Tacloban City.

Not one to mince words, Duterte even said if he were in her place, he would take his own life.

"If I were De Lima, ladies and gentlemen, I will hang myself. The innermost of your core as female being serialized everyday," said the President.

He was referring to De Lima's private affairs, including her supposed romantic relationship with her driver, that are now public knowledge largely due to the President's announcement during the Philippine National Police service anniversary.

Duterte, who previously blasted De Lima for "immorality," said the lady senator would make a bad example for women.

"[With all that's been exposed about you, you should resign. What kind of a role model are you to women? Can you tell them to follow you?]" said Duterte.

Last week, Duterte made public a matrix supposedly showing personalities involved in the New Bilibid Prison illegal drug trade. Senator De Lima and former Pangasinan governor Amado Espino Jr, now Pangasinan 5th District representative, are the two highest public officials in the matrix.

quote:

MANILA, Philippines – If you are on Facebook, chances are you've seen the above photo on your feed.

Among those who posted it is Peter Tiu Laviña, campaign spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte, to question human rights critics of the President.

Supporters of the administration have also spread the photo online, with other netizens sharing it as well. It turns out, however, that the photo was not even taken in the Philippines.

In an August 27 post, Laviña denounced human rights, bishops, and "presstitutes" or media outfits critical of the Duterte administration for their supposed silence on the rape and murder of the 9-year-old girl pictured above

"Truly revolting – Nine-year-old raped and murdered and we haven't heard condemning this brutal act from human rightists, bishops and 'presstitutes' who are derailing the government's war against drugs and crime. Among others, they are more concerned with the human rights of criminals and worried about our country's so-called 'image' abroad," Laviña said.

He added: "They clearly exhibit elitist mindsets in trying to keep up with the Joneses to be good in appearances but rotten to the core. Ngek! Our righteous battles against drugs and crime are fierce and relentless because we face the Devil himself. We cannot be soft or let our guards down lest we ourselves will be devoured and be defeated!"

Former senatorial bet Rafael Alunan III, another Duterte ally, posted an article about Laviña's remarks and hit critics for their "selective reasoning, cognitive dissonance at work."

But on Monday, August 29, a journalist debunked the viral photo, after finding out that the killing did not happen in the Philippines. The rape and murder of the child actually occurred in the municipality of Altamira in Brazil in December 2014. The victim's name was Evelin Nicole da Silva Sousa.

A quick check online would confirm the victim's identity and the crime through legitimate news websites in Brazil.

Critics have slammed the use of the photo, saying it is misleading and Laviña should apologize for "misrepresentation."

Rappler tried to reach Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar for comment. He has yet to respond as of posting.

This is not the first time fake items and news headlines have spread online, purportedly favoring the President.

quote:

To win the war against drugs, we need to be resolute like #PresidentDuterte. There should be no neutrals in this righteous crusade against evil. Let those fence-sitting nitpicking Humpty Dumpties realize that they are derailing our total victory against this menace. They are clearly on the side of if not protecting the drug lords.

quote:

Here’s a classic appeal to emotion post by eugene_dlc1973 addressed to Gamboa: “Where do you currently reside? Have you ever tried walking alone in one dark alley of a slum area? Or have you even tried walking in the Malate area with your wife and a small child in the middle of the night? If you say yes (to) those questions, do you feel safe or (do) you keep looking over your shoulder while walking? Have you ever bumped into some kids (three to be exact), 15 years old or so, with knife and steel pipe (in) their hands, trying to decide if they just need to stab you or hit you with the pipe or both? Very courageous kids because they (were) so high at the time … Maybe you don’t worry about (these) things, because you are caged (in) a well-secured posh subdivision and travel in your luxury car and only visit high-end malls and restaurants, or maybe you are not even residing in Philippines …”

Instead of directly arguing against the legal, moral and practical points raised by Gamboa, readers like eugen_dlc1973 try to appeal to fear and guilt to assert their stand.

Similarly, supporters of extrajudicial killings often post on social media their now ubiquitous question: “Where is the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) when innocent civilians are murdered, raped and robbed by drug addicts?” There is a straightforward answer to that question—that is, the CHR’s constitutional mandate is not fighting crime but fighting human rights abuses involving civil and political rights, so they have nothing to do with daily crimes and police work. It is like asking where the nurses and doctors are (not the fire department) to put out a raging fire. But the emotion-laden rhetorical question suits those who would rather not see the CHR meddle in the government’s war on drugs.

quote:

Perhaps even more alarming is that up to 42 percent of the comments can be categorized as ad hominems. A reasoning contains this logical fallacy, according to the IEP, “if you make an irrelevant attack on the arguer and suggest that this attack undermines the argument itself.” For example, Magnetic Levitation writes, “Inquirer is a tabloid with tabloidic-minded authors. Be a real writer for once.”

And when an exchange turns personal, it often quickly gets out of control, with each party resorting to insults and name-calling. Instead of exchanging viewpoints and learning something new, the discourse degenerates into a childish, mean-spirited game of one-upmanship. Do_SJC, for instance, calls another reader a “Dutertard,” which is predictably followed by an exchange of “Sabog,” “Idiot,” and “Shonga.”

The rest of the comments (24 percent) are simple statements with no arguments to add. They are unqualified statements of support, a simple LOL, or totally unrelated to the topic.

It should be noted that this particular comments section does not include actual threats of bodily harm either to the author or other readers. It is not uncommon for readers hiding behind anonymous handles to become belligerent enough to issue dire, thuggish threats.

quote:

Washington (Reuters) — U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sept. 6, and plans to touch on human rights as well as security concerns, the White House said on Monday.

"We absolutely expect that the president will raise concerns about some of the recent statements from the president of the Philippines," White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told a media briefing when asked whether inflammatory remarks by Duterte about women, journalists, and others would be a topic of discussion.

quote:

MANILA, Philippines – Of all President Rodrigo Duterte’s upcoming bilateral meetings with world leaders in Laos, his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one he looks forward to the most.

“That I look forward to. [I like Putin more],” said Duterte on Wednesday, August 31, on the sidelines of his event with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.

Asked why he was excited to meet the Russian leader, Duterte said, “[We're the same]”

At first, he was coy about revealing why he thought Putin and he shared certain traits.

But as he pulled away from reporters, Duterte, with a mischievous grin, said, "[Maybe when it comes to girls]."

SynthOrange posted:

A statistic today puts the total deaths at 2000+. I thought it was still in the three digits.

quote:

Dela Rosa, who has been chief of the PNP for two months now, is among the key officials in President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs.”

“[I’m going to visit] Colombia. [We have plans to visit next month],” Dela Rosa told Rappler in a chance interview on Thursday, September 1

When asked why he was going to visit, Dela Rosa said: “to observe [how they won, what they did to win the war on drugs].”

Critics have cited the experience in other countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Thailand in battling drugs to hit the Duterte administration.

“[Let’s see. But why is Colombia clean now? How come Thailand is now clean?]” said Dela Rosa, when asked about how critics mention other countries’ experiences in battling illegal drugs.

Argue posted:

Senator Cayetano, creator of the infamous murders graph, says that the hearings on extrajudicial killings are making the Philippines look bad.

quote:

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, one of the staunchest allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, expressed doubts on an international news report about a woman allegedly hired by the police to kill drug pushers and users in the Philippines.

International news agency BBC shared the story of Maria, not her real name, who carries out contract killings as part of the government-sanctioned war on drugs.

Cayetano, however, is unconvinced. With more than a million people wanting the Duterte administration to fail, it is possible that the news item is fabricated, he claimed.

“Naturally. I mean there are one thousand and one, a million people, who would like that story to be true, or would offer a fake [story] to discredit the anti-drugs war, and the drug lords will do that,” Cayetano told reporters on Wednesday, August 31.

“[If that is really drug-related, why do you have to put a cardboard on the drug lord, right?] So you know, you have to think there’s an interplay of interests,” he added.

Cayetano said the reporter should be appointed to the National Bureau of Investigation for finding a rare assassin who would choose to reveal herself.

“[The one who got the report, he should be appointed head of the National Bureau of Investigation because he was so good to find a gun for hire, out of 100 million Filipinos, who would reveal herself and would even pinpoint the PNP.]” he said.

Thinking aloud, Cayetano said it is a mystery to him how a gun for hire would want to reveal herself to anyone.

“[I'm not ignoring these reports, as there should still be an investigation. But it is a mystery to me that, first of all, gunmen for hire don't easily admit their roles. So we have to be cautious that we are not used. I'm not saying it's not true, but he is really good. If it is true, he should head the investigation team.]” he said.

quote:

The bank account that allegedly received millions of pesos from Senator Leila de Lima when she was still Justice Secretary belonged to her former driver, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III disclosed on Thursday, quoting a former employee of the senator.

Aguirre confirmed that an employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jonathan “Jong” Caranto, had executed an affidavit against De Lima claiming that she had instructed him to deposit millions of pesos to the bank account of Ronnie Dayan.

Caranto was one of two employees who had allegedly executed affidavits against her. The other employee was named in some media reports as a certain Edna “Bogs” Obuyes.

Dayan, on the other hand, has been tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as De Lima’s alleged bagman who had collected drug payoffs for her.

Asked how the account would be linked to De Lima when it was not under her name, Aguirre said, “(Our investigation has not ended yet so we will still see how it is linked, whether it could be linked to her or not.)

Vegetable posted:

Also great posts OP, really appreciate your detailed summaries. All I know about Duterte are his controversial comments. Interesting that he's for gay marriage -- how does that fly in a country where I assume people are pretty deeply religious?

quote:

Something I would not tax at all is inheritance of the family home. Not the 6 percent proposed, but zero. Why impose a heartless payment on a family suffering loss, and even putting at risk ownership of the house (many wouldn’t have the 6 percent and have to sell)? Home ownership is not by the husband or wife, or whoever else, but by the family. As long as the family retains the house, there should be no tax.

quote:

For President Rodrigo Duterte, the rising number of casualties in his administration's drug war is far from alarming.

The president made this point amid growing international criticism from the international community on the spate of killings that started when he took office on June 30.

Duterte noted that films have been justifying the killing of criminals long before he took over as president.

“It is always an eye for eye at the end of the day. Who taught us? The movie of — who is that? Clint Eastwood personified it that way and most of us saw the picture,” he said, noting how authorities could not simply let drug addicts kill innocent people.

“What is the difference between Liam Neeson killing a lot of Europeans and Americans because of what happened to his daughter? That is the same thing that is happening. That is why the scriptwriter knows what happens in the minds of human beings and they write it and they make it into movies and they showed us and gave us an example and we think the movie is good and we should follow it,” Duterte added, referring to Neeson’s blockbuster “Taken” series.

Duterte then further said those films should have been blocked from screening if they do not set good examples.

“I could be an average family man. Now how about the Clint Eastwoods in the police department? If it is bad, it should have been not shown at all because it would poison the mind of the world. But since it was good and it was only rated R for adults, everything is now shaped up by the culture in the world… so what goes in the minds of Americans,” he said.

CronoGamer posted:

Not to jump to conclusions but this is probably gonna be an ASG retaliation to his crackdown in the Sulu archipelago, yeah?

Badger of Basra posted:

What does a "state of lawlessness" entail? Is it any different from a state of emergency?

quote:

SECTION 18. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, the President shall submit a report in person or in writing to the Congress. The Congress, voting jointly, by a vote of at least a majority of all its Members in regular or special session, may revoke such proclamation or suspension, which revocation shall not be set aside by the President. Upon the initiative of the President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.

quote:

Specifically, Duterte said he was allowing searches of motor vehicles at checkpoints.

"[You should stop at police checkpoints.] If you see a sign and there are soldiers flashing their lights, switch off your headlights, switch on the light inside your cars because I'm authorizing them to search," Duterte said.

"So if you do not have anything to hide, I am suggesting that you be liberal enough to understand us because we are trying to cope up with a crisis now," he added.

Duterte said the authorities received information warnings against an attack by the Abu Sayyaf Group, but could not frisk citizens at the risk of being branded "fascistic."

"They gave us the warning. Not only in Jolo, but in other places. We were forewarned, we were ready," Duterte said, noting that his top law enforcement and intelligence people were in Davao City for that reason.

"Unfortunately, we cannot frisk or order people to stop and search because that could be fascistic. Then that is not a democracy anymore. That is the price of being a democratic state," he added.

Duterte dispelled notions of his 'state of lawless violence' declaration repressing civil liberties.

"Any action at all taken by the security forces will be in furtherance to stop terrorism. And I am including drugs because there are so many killings unfairly attributed to the police," Duterte said.

"I have this duty to protect the country, keep intact the integrity of the nation," he added

The president also made it clear that citizen's movements would not be controlled, nor would there be random searches, as these would be "fascistic."

"Government is here with you, as much as humanly possible. We will protect everybody," assured Duterte.

He also called on citizens to be vigilant and cooperate with the security checkpoints.

nopantsjack posted:

They post cautiously about not wanting to make mountains out of molehills as their blatantly insane president proudly sets up death squads. but he won't frisk people to stop a bomb and blames democracy and namedrops fascism.

Argue posted:

CNN Philippines is reporting that the "State of Lawless Violence" is in effect only in Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, and that there was a miscommunication regarding it being implemented nationwide. However, the guy who said this also said that it was "declared not only because of Davao blast but also for crime, drug war".

Edit: the wording isn't clear; it could be me who's misunderstanding it. Another way to interpret it would be "we actually meant to say it was nationwide, and it was a miscommunication that it would only be in Mindanao". Source here: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/771935844387131393

Argue posted:

I'm seeing a lot more of this than I'm actually seeing anyone "celebrating". I'm actually kind of offended that people think the anti-Duterte crew saw this and thought "this is my chance to jab Duterte" or "hah, they deserve it" (there's a popular post on FB right now where someone paints us as such).

Nyarai posted:

Also, Duterte's nickname is Digong. Can anyone explain why? Google's been no help.

Sephyr posted:

Asked a filipina friend for her take on the issue. She e-mailed me this back.


Last two lines are her own contribution.

quote:

You don't understand the depth of desperation until you've lived here. The things you hear in the news do not even scratch the surface.

We are angry, desperate, and frustrated, and we hope you can see that.

It will be back to Third World, most-corrupt-country-ever status for us.

quote:

Duterte was forced to run for President by the Filipino people

This guy is 71 years old. He has nothing to lose (except his life, which apparently does not bother him) and everything to gain.

Rodatose posted:

Did the Philippine-American War and its hundreds of thousands of dead civilians like, not happen, or what

quote:

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he does not owe US President Barack Obama any explanation regarding the issues on extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses hounding his three-month-old administration.

"The Philippines is not vassal state. We have long ceased to be a colony of the United States," Duterte said at a press briefing in Davao City before leaving for Laos for the ASEAN Summit where he is expected to meet with Obama.

“You must be respectful. Do not throw away questions and statements. [You motherfucker, I'm going to cuss you out right there in the middle of the forum. Don't do that to me.] Tell that to everybody,” the President snapped.

Duterte, who is being criticized for his bloody war against illegal drug syndicates, also blasted unnamed columnists for acting like "lapdogs" of Obama and the US.

"I do not respond to anybody but to the people of the Philippines. [I don't care about him.] Who is he?" Duterte said before noting what happened when the US occupied the Philippines before World War II.

“As a matter of fact, he has so many—America has one too many to answer for the misdeeds in this country. [Up to now we still haven't had even a whisper of an apology from them.] That is the reason why Mindanao continues to boil. [You said], that was the last century, [that those wounds are] from generation to generation. As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States. Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people,” the President lashed out.

Despite everything he said, Duterte clarified that he is not going to pick a fight with Obama, but continued to stress Philippines' independence.

“There are a lot of you so much about extrajudicial killings then connect it with Obama. I do not want to pick a quarrel with Obama, but certainly I would not appear to be beholden to anybody… This is an independent country. Nobody has the right to lecture on me. God. Do not do it,” he said.

“[You want] the right word? [We're going to treat each other like pigs if you try to do that to me]. I do not accept that preposition that anybody is superior that me. We are supposed to be equal there. My country might be small, hardly keeping up with the economic problems but I will not allow myself—[you insult me, you insult the entire Filipino people],” Duterte then warned.

On September 2, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama will not pull any punches on human rights during his meeting Duterte.

Meanwhile, Duterte previously said that Obama needs to listen to him and understand the illegal drug situation in the country first before discussing human rights issues during their bilateral meeting.

Despite the growing international criticisms against his campaign versus drugs, Duterte is firm that this war will not end until there are no more pushers in the streets.

“[If you won't stop dealing drugs]—the campaign against drugs will continue. [Many people will due because of it]. Plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue and I do not give a poo poo to anybody observing my behavior,” the President maintained.

"It will continue until such time I can proclaim to the nation that we are drug-free. And that is my only purpose in this presidency, so be it. If you remove me because of the killings, then it shall be so," Duterte stressed.

The President then turned the table and slammed the US for the supposed human rights violations against migrants.

"Everybody has a terrible record of extrajudicial killing. Why make an issue of fighting crime? [He can't even handle his own problems over there at the Mexican border]. Look at the human rights of America along that line. The way they treat the migrants there," Duterte pointed out.

Tarantula posted:

It might buy you some cool points at home

Y-Hat posted:

The first exposure I had to Duterte was someone posting on Facebook that his presidency is what would happen if someone based their political platform on YouTube comments. It's not far off the mark. How likely is a Marcos-style state of emergency in the future, what would start it, and how long would it take before Duterte says "gently caress everything" and implement it?

quote:

MANILA, Philippines — Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo on Sunday clarified that the proclamation of a “state of lawlessness” was already planned even before the night market blast in Davao City.

“[The State of Lawlessness was not triggered by the explosion in Davao]. Actually, [that was already in the planning stage],” Panelo said in a radio interview with dzBB.

“In fact, [we were already drafting a proclamation before it happened],” he added.

Panelo said the executive order on the state of lawlessness would most likely be released on Sunday or Monday. Duterte on Saturday morning made the declaration and called on the military to suppress lawless violence.

The chief presidential legal counsel explained there were four factors that prompted Duterte to declare a state of lawless violence which include the anti-illegal drug campaign, criminality, terrorism and the Abu Sayyaf Group. He clarified that this state would be applied nationwide and not in just in Davao City.

“[The problems I cited are also nationwide. Terrorism isn't just focused on Davao. The terrorists are also targeting Metro Manila, and all the large cities, they're planning on blowing us up here as well. So why would you localize the declaration],” Panelo said.

“[The] drug men are all over the land, [and so is criminality so we really have to make it nationwide],” he added.

Panelo said despite tightened security measures, the public should not worry about a possible martial law and that the writ of habeas corpus would not be suspended. He said a curfew would depend on security forces while there will be increased checkpoints in various areas.

“[This is so that the President can use the Armed Forces and we would have a much stricter rule of law ... nothing has changed], our normal activities every day,” Panelo concluded.

CronoGamer posted:

He's also already regretting the insult: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/duterte-expresses-regret-over-obama-comments-spokesman/3103660.html So we're basically following the same track as his insult to the Pope last year. Meeting is being rescheduled for a later date now.

Who would've thought spouting bullshit off of the top of your head could have negative repercussions? Welcome to the big leagues, Rody, we're not in Davao anymore.

KiteAuraan posted:

Hasn't MILF been a thing for like, at least 50 years now?

quote:

President Rodrigo Duterte said that he won’t hesitate to be a 'cannibal' if terrorists will not stop attacking the country.

“These guys are beyond redemption. [It's hopeless]. ISIS, [you seem them there in the] Middle East. They’ve burned 20 young girls for refusing to have sex. [What else do you expect me to do when faced with that],” the President ranted in front of the Filipino community in Laos Monday night as he talked about the recent terror attacks in the Philippines.

“[You know, I can eat people. I'm going to tear open your flesh, just give me some salt and vinegar, I'm going to eat you. Yes, it's true. If you really push me to go the edge, I can eat people, just give me some salt and vinegar, I'm going to eat someone right in front you],” Duterte said.

On late Friday night, Roxas Night Market in Duterte’s home city of Davao was bombed, leaving 14 people killed and 70 others hurt.
The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf initially claimed responsibility for the incident, but later said it was an allied group behind the attack. Authorities, meanwhile, have yet to pinpoint those responsible for the bombing.

The incident prompted Duterte to release Proclamation No. 55 declaring a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao to step up police and military operations against terrorism.

The bombing came after 15 soldiers were killed amid intensified offensives against Abu Sayyaf after they beheaded an 18-year-old man. The bandits also threatened to attack other highly urbanized centers such as Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

“[I said in Visayan], walay sukod sa balos [revenge has no measure]. [I do not owe you anything. So go ahead, just keep bombing us over and over. When the time comes, I will eat you alive] I will devour you and if I have to erase you, [I want - I said - after all is said and done, not even one coconut tree will be left standing there. Not even a single tree, nothing will be left standing. So there],” the President snapped.

quote:

VIENTIANE, Laos — I will eat you alive.

President Duterte issued this grim warning to the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group as he sought for understanding from Filipinos here regarding his take-no-prisoner strategy against criminality and the narcotics trade.

After hurling invectives at US President Barack Obama, the foul-mouthed Duterte turned his ire on the Abu Sayyaf, the al-Qaeda-linked terror group that has denied involvement in last week’s bomb attack that killed 14 people and wounded 67 others in the President’s hometown of Davao City.

Defending his tough stance against criminality, he said lawless elements like terrorists were already “beyond redemption.”

“If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you,” the President told a gathering of the Filipino community at Feungfar Convention Center on Monday night.

“That’s true. If you annoy me to the fullest… I will eat you alive. Raw,” he said, eliciting chuckles from his audience, who included children.

Referring to the Abu Sayyaf, he said: “Go ahead. Set off bombs. Time will come when I will eat you in front of the people. I will devour you and if I have to, erase you.”

Chomskyan posted:

So did Duterte call Obama a son of a whore or not? Annoying people (Duterte supporters) on Facebook are claiming it wasn't directed at Obama or something

KingEup posted:

I work on a dementia ward and I'm starting to think this guy has some frontal lobe disorder, like as in he actually can't help but say what he thinks no matter how offensive.

That would also explain his tendency to make sexual comments at inappropriate times or situations.

Volcott posted:

I'm really impressed they managed to get 9/11 levels of OUR COUNTRY RIGHT OR WRONG out of putting the boots to a bunch of low-level drug dealers.