Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte's ascent to the Philippine presidency was a political earthquake, shattering the hold of Manila's traditional elite. For over two decades, he had ruled Davao City with an iron fist, cultivating a image as a ruthless crime-fighter who got results, by any means necessary. In 2016, he took that brand national, channeling public anger over crime, drugs, and government incompetence into a landslide victory. He was the first president from Mindanao, and he governed with the visceral, profane style of a provincial mayor. His signature policy, the 'war on drugs,' unleashed a campaign of extrajudicial killings that left thousands dead in its wake, drawing international condemnation but retaining fierce domestic support from those who felt safer. His foreign policy pivoted sharply away from the United States towards China and Russia, while his domestic rule was marked by attacks on the press, political opponents, and institutions like the International Criminal Court. Duterte's six-year term was a period of intense polarization, where his supporters saw a decisive strongman and his critics saw a dangerous authoritarian, leaving a deeply scarred political landscape.