Rodrigo Duterte, the Murderer and Dictator

All of us are entitled to our own opinions. But make sure that our opinions are based on facts. 

Quick background: I voted for Duterte-Cayetano in 2016. Born and raised in Roxas City in Capiz, I am expected to vote for Mar Roxas, the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, because I come from his bailiwick. But I refused to make an incompetent politician for president, even when my mother is a staunch Roxas-Robredo supporter. 

That preference somehow shaped my political views even up to today.

Having picked the mayor of Davao, I am inclined to protect that vote by showing support, but not to the expense of blindly following him, his allies, and their bullshit policies. I chose Duterte mostly because he best represents change and that Miriam Santiago, my other bet, was ailing at the time (RIP, madamé). 

Since he was elected as president, Duterte has been in hot water for many issues. This is normal and understandable.

He is the commander-in-chief so everything that he does – and did – as an elected official is under the radar of the public, including that of the first family.

It is unfair, however, to pin him on many accusations, most of which lack evidence and are malicious in nature, that would destroy his capability, reputation, and influence to lead the Republic. 

Allegations left and right. Alternative facts right and left. The mudslinging by the opposition, led by the Liberal Party, never stopped as soon as Duterte took office.

In this generation of fake news proliferating around social media, as well as in print and in television, it is easy to be swayed by these well-funded tactics, especially the gullible.  

But not me.  

The DDS. Photo by Reuters

What the dignified voters of Duterte like me are fighting for is to defend the Republic. 

Defend the Republic from the oligarchs who are power-greedy and from any foreign countries trying to intervene in local affairs. Philippines is a sovereign country and always should be. 

Much of the defending is done against the mass media, both international and local, which seem to advance propaganda. We all know how the information we get from news outlets shape our society. 

Exhibit A: Duterte being called a murderer.

13,000 EJKs is fake news 

Repeatedly, media reports claim that there have been 13,000 extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the war of drugs that was initiated by the president. Naturally, the rest of the world would condemn it upon reading in news outfits, thinking as if it is a policy of Duterte to kill, kill, and kill the drug addicts and even the innocent. 

However, that’s not what is on the ground. 

Looking at the real numbers provided by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Customs reveals that there are only 3,811 drug personalities who died in the anti-drug operations. A difference of about 9,000 people, which is an awful lot because we speak about deaths.  

The 13,000 EJKs that they say is a lazy sum of all the people killed during the anti-drug operations, majority of which are still under investigation. It is possible that druglords, even behind bars, are included in the equation to protect their interests. Take a look at this news. 

Moreover, it is not true that killing innocent civilians is a state policy, contrary to what the opposition leaders and Liberal Party-aligned organizations insist.

Duterte firmly said that as well as the PNP Chief Bato dela Rosa. I believe them because I am presented with the real numbers, not the ones propagated by the media.

I am the first one to turn my back on the President once the merciless killings in the drug war are proven to be a government order.    

My take on this is that the people, especially those do not think independently and far beyond what the media reports, are inclined to believe the killings as state-sponsored because of the continuous reporting by the mass media about them. 

I believe that there are reckless policemen who perform their duties outside the bounds of the law. That is what the mass media reports regularly, with a supposed aim to convince that the Philippines fell to the trap of a murderer.

This photo became the symbol of the drug war. But does this really represent the entirety of the killings? Photo by Inquirer

Even personally, it was difficult to trust the policemen at the peak of the drug war with all the bad press they are getting. But with Duterte saying that the rogue policemen should be punished, be jailed or hanged, the killings are not given consent but condemned. 

Would you expect those in the opposition to believe that? I do not think so. They are inclined to think that Duterte’s drug war is inherently bad, relying on the trends made by the mass media which are propagandistic in nature. 

The good thing about the criticisms by the opposition is that the PNP listens and adjusts. Just recently, they have recalibrated the anti-drug operations to include the use of body cameras, among other rules. This, I fully support. 

Now, do you think Duterte is a mass murderer that they paint to be? I do not think so. 

Exhibit B: Proclaiming martial law in Mindanao, putting his fierce critic Leila de Lima to jail, and stripping Rappler of their license to operate make Duterte a dictator. 

Martial law is constitutional! 

When Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao after Marawi City was ransacked by the terror Maute group, people were quick to say that it will be a repeat of what happened during the Marcos era where countless human rights violations were tallied. This was instilled by the media who made throwback articles during the Marcos regime. 

I cannot really blame those who have experienced martial law themselves back in the days to fear for the people in Mindanao after the announcement. 

But the declaration of the martial law by Duterte is within the bounds of the law. Perfectly legal. 

For public safety, the entire Mindanao was surrounded with soldiers while it is under martial law. Photo by ABS-CBN

Section 18, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution states that:

“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.” 

It was obvious that there was an attempt to invade or rebel by the Maute group – except for Senator Risa Hontiveros, among others, who thinks otherwise. 

Qualified as a move in the dictator playbook? It can be, but Duterte’s martial law in Mindanao has its legalities. This was agreed by the congress. 

There were arguments about why the rest of Mindanao was included in the martial law when it was only Marawi that was under siege. Duterte defended that the threat of terrorism or rebellion can thrive in nearby provinces, especially at that time, considering that they are interconnected across Mindanao. 

Now, Marawi is declared free from the Maute group. Thanks most especially to the soldiers who fought for their lives and their beloved country. 

Was there gross human rights violations in the 5 months the entire Mindanao was under martial law? None reported.

Discussions on whether the martial law should be continued are still on the court. Oral arguments are on-going as of posting. 

Frailties of a woman

With regards to Leila De Lima, the Department of Justice secretary in the previous administration who is said to be a drug protector, and her journey to jail, well, this was quite a case. 

“Drug protector.” Photo by the PNP

I personally do not like the misogyny that was going on while she was under investigation. Details about her sex life and love life should be kept in secret, unless they prove certain matters about her involvement in drugs.

Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II stretched his arguments a bit too far, often offensive in his remarks. He is one of those people in this administration that I do not really like (that includes you, Mocha!)

But the President knew something about De Lima’s role as the DOJ secretary slash drug protector. He had intel for sure that she is part of the proliferation of drugs in the Bilibid, as he said repeatedly. 

The Supreme Court en banc convened and agreed. A 9-6 ruling kept De Lima in jail, ruling the Sandiganbayan has no jurisdiction over De Lima. “This means her case will not be handled by the Office of the Ombudsman, but by DOJ prosecutors who will defend their case against her before the Muntinlupa RTC,” Rappler wrote. 

The judiciary is separate from the executive and the legislative. While others can argue that Duterte influenced the Supreme Court decision, the en banc has its own minds to decide on the matter. De Lima’s fate cannot be directly attributed to Duterte. 

Rappler is not 100% Filipino-owned!

Known to be critical of Duterte since time immemorial, Rappler has its license revoked recently by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This is being called as a curtailment of press freedom by many people, especially those aligned in the opposition, including some men and women of the press.

But as clear as day, this is not an issue of press freedom but foreign ownership as placed by SEC in its decision. 

Maria Ressa needs the best lawyers for this case. Photo via The Asian Policy 

SEC ruled that Rappler is not really a 100% Filipino-owned media company after it was discovered that it entered into a contract with Omidyar, that the foreign firm requires Rappler to seek approval for its corporate matters. 

The 1987 Constitution states that all media outfits should be 100% Filipino-owned. A control from any international body, like clearly stated in the contract entered by Rappler, lessens that 100% Filipino ownership which is no longer lawful. 

Now Rappler cries for abridging their freedom of press and of expression as a media company. Bullshit. They are still allowed to operate but only as a blog. That is without the privileges they used to enjoy before.

Arguments of Rappler and its supporters are now anchored on emotion rather than the legality of the matter. Typical for them to draw the victim card like what Jover Laurio did when she was exposed as the slanderous Pinoy Ako Blog. It is stupid to fall for the theatrics of all these. 

One thing worth noting is that it is not within the jurisdiction of Duterte to press SEC on punishing Rappler like this. An overwhelming majority of the SEC committee were selected by the Aquino administration, with only 1 appointed by Duterte. It is not convincing to pinpoint this on the President. 

Even National Press Club President Paul Gutierrez believes that this is not a matter of abridging press freedom. In a statement, he said, “To say that the fate one media entity found to have run afoul with the law translate to media repression in the contry is stretching the argument a bit too much.” 

So is Duterte a fascist, a dictator? Your guess is as good as mine.

In this case, it’s Rappler having the lousiest lawyers to overlook that clause in the contract, or perhaps Maria Ressa and her minions being completely aware of it, and now blinding their readers to fight against the curtailment of press freedom, or so they say.   

I am still rallying behind Duterte and this administration. Photo by Reuters

Duterte is not a perfect commander-in-chief. For one, he has a foul mouth. Oh god, the rape jokes are unforgivable. He is pretty temperamental too, often turning red in many of his candid appearances. At times, he is inconsistent with his facts. While he is articulate, some days I could not clearly hear his words. 

But I bet that he knows what he is doing being a long-time prosecutor and mayor of Davao, and that is far more important to me and the Republic. And the fact that his satisfaction rating still soars high according to the SWS, it says so much about him and his performance as the President.  

Top photo via AFP