Philippines - An Anti-Drug Dictatoarship

        Roberto Duterte – President of Philippines, the Man who Dares to Fight Drugs and Stand Alone – is a name that has been making headlines ever since he came into power as the sixteenth President of the Philippines in May, 2016. The Philippines, due to its geographical location, has steadily grown into one of the biggest transit hubs for the illegal drug trade. According to U.N Reports as well as reports by U.S State Department, a very large number of the population are addicted to drugs and the country  rates as the biggest user of methamphetamine in Asia. The country was projected to become a narco state but the election of the former Mayor of Davao city, Roberto Duterte as the President of the country changed this.

       Duterte is from Mindanoa, the second largest island of the Philippines.  He is the son of a lawyer,  graduated in politics and law.  He became Special Counsel at the City Prosecution Office in Davao city and rose to the position of Second Assistant City Prosecutor.  Being a member of the Philippines House of Representatives, he rose to the position of Mayor of Davao.

      Davao, which was once said to have one of the highest crime rates city in the country, has become safer according to residents during the period when Duterte was the Mayor.

      From the beginning of his political career, he has shown a commitment towards reducing the use of drugs. He remarked in 2009, “If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the Mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination.”

         As Mayor, he offered a monthly allowance of two thousand pesos to any drug offender who managed to kick the habit. He also built drug rehabilitation and treatment centres all over the country with twenty four hour service.

       He was severely criticised for the extra judicial killings of hundreds of criminals and drug dealers and was dubbed ‘The Punisher’ for his support of the killing of alleged criminals. It is this same determination that can be seen in his war against drugs as the President of the country. He came into power promising a ruthless extermination of anti-social elements. From the time he came into power, to date, about two thousand five hundred people have been killed in the drug war. In July 2016, he urged people to kill those who refused to give up the use and sale of drugs and there have been widespread reports of mass killings by vigilant groups, and even the national police. In August, two UN rights experts accused the President for encouraging manslaughter. But Duterte was not fazed and in four days, threatened to pull out of the United Nations and create a separate organisation together with China and African countries to compete with the UNO. "You now, United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10 [about you]. I tell you, you are an inutil (useless in filipino street language.). Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killing, including  in Syria and Iraq." 

     Duterte was scheduled to meet President Obama during the Asean Summit. When Obama commented against the killing of over two thousand Philippinos during the war on drugs, Duterte retorted,  "I am no American puppet.

I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Philipino people. You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements.” President Obama cancelled the meeting. All over the world Duterte has been criticized by human rights activists for the blood bath he has started in his country but he remains undeterred.

     Duterte is the first head of government who has taken such a ruthless stand on drugs and he has both supporters and detractors. In September 2016, Budi Waseso, head of Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency, in support said that his country hoped to follow the model that Duterte had set. On the 19^th of September, 2016, the Philippine Senate removed Senator Leila Lima, who was Duterte’s biggest critic from her position.  There is a growing segment, especially among the upper class who are uncomfortable with this policies.

                If this drug cartel surrender,  it will be a historic victory of the mankind.