Philippines new President - Rodrigo "The Punisher" Duterte

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
On Monday the Filipinos (a key Australian strategic ally) elected Rodrigo Duterte, and the state owned media in particular has been super keen to label him some kind of Asian Donald Trump to discredit him.

I've been a fan of this guy for a few years now, just prior to when I visited his home city of Davao (where he was mayor for 22 odd years) for a week about 5 years ago.

A bit of background: In the 70's and 80's Davao was widely considered the single most dangerous city in Asia. Kidnapping gangs, Islamic State (though they were known as the MILF or Abu Sayyaf up until recently when they swore allegiance to the calpihate) and the NPA (The longest running and best armed communist insurgency in Asia) were all battling over turf, and kidnapping people, extorting and murdering with impunity.

Rodrigo was a lawyer at the time, a job with a limited life expectancy in that part of the world. He was elected mayor on a 'tough on crime' platform. And he delivered in spades.

Within his first month of being mayor, he was personally involved in multiple shootouts with kidnapping gangs and Islamic terrorists. The police force was incredibly corrupt and often worked in tandem with the gangs. In one such instance, the police had met the kidnapping gangs and delivered the required ransom and prisoner exchange. Duterte didn't trust the police involved, so he had his security detail take him to 'the drop' where he confronted the kidnappers and started shooting and recovered the ransom money. Eventually the entire police force would be replaced.

To deal with the Communists he did what any smart person would do in that situation, he negotiated. The NPA left Davao more or less alone. Then a strange thing started happening, he started funding schools, transport, health (this was likely part of his negotiations with the Commies)/ then something very dark started happening. Criminals started flat out disappearing. And not just Mr Big's and drug dealers and kidnappers. Petty thieves who had been given two chances in prison were summarily executed in public by masked vigilantes. These killers became known as the DDS (Davao Death Squad) and killed over 700 convicted criminals (though Roddy himself says the figure is closer to 1,700 and reckons he personally murdered "about 3 or 4"). He had managed to get the Catholics and Communists on side, and openly supported the muslim part of mindanao in asking for independance (so the jihadis left well enough alone, with a few *ups that ended up in them being torn apart by the NPA or Davao security)

Davao is now considered one of the five safest cities in Asia. Smoking is banned everywhere in public (he once threatened a british tourist who refused to obey this law, by pointing a revolver at his nutsack and saying "you either swallow that lit cigarette or you leave my city with no balls")

The elites dont like him because they think he's a closet Communist (and he isn't from rich military stock, which in Philippines usually means you aren't allowed anywhere near politics).

So why are American and Australian state media so against him? Isn't this all Philippines domestic s**t?

Well he has already started making overtures that all the territorial disputes with China can be forgotten if they come and build railroads in Philippines like they did in Africa. He is a deal maker, and he realises that the percieved benefit of a few American bases in Philippines in small fry compared to having potentially massive trade with China. Realpolitik at work I guess.

Anyway, two currently sitting senators have threatened a coup against him already (both of these guys attempted coups against the government in the last 15 years, so they aren't joking - and yeah, you can attempt a coup in Philippines and still run for the senate from prison, and if you win they let you out).

Oh, and his country is a transit point where the 14k and Sun Yee On (HK triads) and mainland Chinese criminals do business with the Sinaloa cartel. So he's going to come into conflict with them too.

But this is a potential gamechanger in our region from a strategic point of view. Australia and America have used Philippines as a battleground against the Japanese, and as a launching pad against China. A guy this popular, with such a different view of the world compared to his predecessors at the very least brings uncertainty to the Philippines/US/AUS relationship at the exact time America doesn't want to see it.

If any head of state is going to be assassinated or overthrown in the next 6 years, my money is on Duterte Harry.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne


Yeah i saw that. I can see the humour in it but he is nothing like trump. His mantra has very much been that words dont matter, only action does.

Take the rape joke. Sure what he said was very dark. But what doesnt get mentioned in the western media is that he and his brother were the ones who personally executed all of those rapists and murderers. He isnt making light of her rape and murder, he is saying he should have acted sooner and killed the rapists earlier. But that kind of context gets lost in translation.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
I believe his reign has begun. 8 drug dealers killed yesterday in shoot out with police
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
So you support someone who actively boasts of carrying out extra-judicial killings? Interesting.

Ideally no. But not every country or community is as safe as Australia. And the guy succesfully made peace with two very serious insurgent groups while eradicating the vast majority of crime. So no I dont support extra judicial killings, but in his case as mayor of Davao, there is a lot of evidence that suggests he had a very positive impact on that city.

Phillippines has one of the worst drug problems in the world. Not least because it functions as a meeting point and transit hub for the 14k and the Sinaloa cartel. He isnt taking on just minor or mid level dealers now.

Also note that he killed about 700 people over 25 years as mayor. Australian soldiers have killed more people without trial over that same amount of time.
 
Last edited:
Do you work in a private jail or something? :p

We have mining operations in Mindanao which is governed by the Zamboanga MGB. A pretty interesting town post the siege.

upload_2016-6-23_16-44-46.jpeg

It will take some leader to unite the country but I feel Duterte is the man for the job. He rules with the carrot and the stick!

He wants to create states and hand the money to the regions which should put an end to the fuel for the separatists. but he won't put up with a siege under his watch.

He wants international standards for business including mining. His appointment of the environmental activist to head up the mines department is a stroke of genius.

He's working with the Chinese rather than against them which should see billions in investment.

Interesting times.
 

Bomberboyokay

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts
Sep 27, 2014
34,227
28,861
AFL Club
Essendon
Power Raid happily looks past summary executions if he personally benefits from it. Shocked to be sitting here.
 
Last edited:
Power Raid happily looks past summary executions if he personally benefits from it. Shocked to be sitting here.

no I don't look past it at all. Two guys from TVI just lost their heads, police are killed, the army slaughtered, citizens executed and go missing etc etc. It is quite horrific for all involved.

I guess there are two schools of thought. The first do nothing. The second sit down with government and the local villages and understand their needs and concerns and see if you can make a difference.

We brought two aborigines, two locals from Guinea (Africa) and two from Peru to discuss how our operations have helped and affected their communities. Within 4 hours we had locals with assault rifles wanting to kill us to wanting to work with us. We have build a school, a lime bottling plant, provide free health care (women and kids only, men have to pay from wages) and 10% of our expenditure goes to a community fund.

Personally I'd like to think that most people want to work and look after their families rather than kill people. So far so good. What have you done to help?
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
Power Raid happily looks past summary executions if he personally benefits from it. Shocked to be sitting here.

Honestly the summary executions in southern Philippines under his watch as mayor are a pretty minor thing.

I know that sounds callous. But its a very different country to ours and faces very different challenges.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
no I don't look past it at all. Two guys from TVI just lost their heads, police are killed, the army slaughtered, citizens executed and go missing etc etc. It is quite horrific for all involved.

I guess there are two schools of thought. The first do nothing. The second sit down with government and the local villages and understand their needs and concerns and see if you can make a difference.

We brought two aborigines, two locals from Guinea (Africa) and two from Peru to discuss how our operations have helped and affected their communities. Within 4 hours we had locals with assault rifles wanting to kill us to wanting to work with us. We have build a school, a lime bottling plant, provide free health care (women and kids only, men have to pay from wages) and 10% of our expenditure goes to a community fund.

Personally I'd like to think that most people want to work and look after their families rather than kill people. So far so good. What have you done to help?

This is the Filo way of doing things.

For too long Philippines has been pretending to be an American outpost in the Pacific. Plenty of money has been made by the same 120 elite families that have been extprting the people since colonial times.

Duterte cops flack not because he murders people, every politician in the Philippines murders people (the most dangerous nation in the world for journalists and socialists). He cops flack because he negotiates with everyone and genuinely believes in his people and their human rights. And if you disagree with him, he also knows how to get violent. But its like he says, everyone loses when things turn violent. We are better off negotiating.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
Let me put it this way: under the previous government hundreds of students disappeared for asking the wrong questions about how the poor are treated. And it was all kept hush hush.

Under Duterte people will still go missing, usually criminals, but he is open about it and the reasons for why it's happening.

Not good. But better.
 
He isnt even president yet.

every govt head knows they are having to re-apply for their jobs this month and they are clearly taking heed of his comments and acting upon the sentiment.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
every govt head knows they are having to re-apply for their jobs this month and they are clearly taking heed of his comments and acting upon the sentiment.

Yeah i should have expanded a bit more. Its crazy how quickly the change is happening considering he hasnt actually taken office yet.

I really do think he is going to either get assassinated or go down as one of the Philippines greatest leaders.
 
This is the Filo way of doing things.

For too long Philippines has been pretending to be an American outpost in the Pacific. Plenty of money has been made by the same 120 elite families that have been extprting the people since colonial times.

Duterte cops flack not because he murders people, every politician in the Philippines murders people (the most dangerous nation in the world for journalists and socialists). He cops flack because he negotiates with everyone and genuinely believes in his people and their human rights. And if you disagree with him, he also knows how to get violent. But its like he says, everyone loses when things turn violent. We are better off negotiating.

anything can happen over the next three years but regardless of the outcome change will occur. hopefully the change is sustainable and we don't return to the "elite" and instead move toward a system based on merit. We all know that takes time.
 
Yeah i should have expanded a bit more. Its crazy how quickly the change is happening considering he hasnt actually taken office yet.

I really do think he is going to either get assassinated or go down as one of the Philippines greatest leaders.

yep

being assassinated is a very real risk but hopefully the Filipino people open their eyes to why a nation with 20% of the world's gold, loads of copper and O&G with an educated work force is what it is. without corruption, this nation would be amazing.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
yep

being assassinated is a very real risk but hopefully the Filipino people open their eyes to why a nation with 20% of the world's gold, loads of copper and O&G with an educated work force is what it is. without corruption, this nation would be amazing.

That has always been my opinion too.

I've got a few contacts over there on the advocacy side of things. Apparently the OFW's are starting to come home in large numbers, and what Australians call the outsourcing business has led to many educated working class Filo's having real opportunity at home. As a result, they demand better standards for social services than what the country has traditionally provided, and they universally want an end to the Shabu scourge and kidnapping industry.

As a nation it has been through a lot of bullshit with colonialism, but like you said there is no excuse for a country with that much mineral wealth, and that educated a workforce, to have such a disparity between rich and poor.

I've heard at one point Philippines was so wealthy they used to import labour from Australia. So it is still somewhat known amongst the populace that they can do better than what they have. Trade with China is absolutely paramount to this, and that may mean upsetting the Anglosphere from a strategic point of view.
 
That has always been my opinion too.

I've got a few contacts over there on the advocacy side of things. Apparently the OFW's are starting to come home in large numbers, and what Australians call the outsourcing business has led to many educated working class Filo's having real opportunity at home. As a result, they demand better standards for social services than what the country has traditionally provided, and they universally want an end to the Shabu scourge and kidnapping industry.

As a nation it has been through a lot of bullshit with colonialism, but like you said there is no excuse for a country with that much mineral wealth, and that educated a workforce, to have such a disparity between rich and poor.

I've heard at one point Philippines was so wealthy they used to import labour from Australia. So it is still somewhat known amongst the populace that they can do better than what they have. Trade with China is absolutely paramount to this, and that may mean upsetting the Anglosphere from a strategic point of view.

hopefully the world powers (US and China) invest heavily in the Philippines and use their power of influence in a positive manner rather than pull the nation apart.

Australia has so much to gain by seeing stable prosperous nations in our region with Indonesia and the Philippines right up there in terms of importance.

I'd like to see more Filipino's offered education and work opportunities here in Oz. Especially if the opportunity is for 3-5 years with the requirement to return home. With that they will see there is another way and demand more from their own nation.

Whatever happens we must recognise the nation has 80m effective slaves and we should support positive change. We shouldn't turn our backs on the issue of death squads but we shouldn't just arm chair quarter back thinking the nation and its government should be like Australia overnight.

I'd be keen to understand what your contacts in advocacy do. You can never have enough friends in strange lands.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
Also they are natural allies of Australia within our region and there is huge opportunity there for Australia to get a 'special status' among the Filipinos as a good neighbour. I know Indonesia will always be the most important relationship to us strategically, but we really should be doing more to take advantage of our geographic proximity to Philippines. HSBC and PWC see them as being a top 20 world economy by 2050 - surpassing the likes of Thailand and ending up about equal with Vietnam.

And they have great music, beach culture, beer and people.
 
Also they are natural allies of Australia within our region and there is huge opportunity there for Australia to get a 'special status' among the Filipinos as a good neighbour. I know Indonesia will always be the most important relationship to us strategically, but we really should be doing more to take advantage of our geographic proximity to Philippines. HSBC and PWC see them as being a top 20 world economy by 2050 - surpassing the likes of Thailand and ending up about equal with Vietnam.

And they have great music, beach culture, beer and people.

100% re great people.

After the TVI guys losing their heads, I don't think i'll get to experience the great beach culture. keeping my head low and connected to my body is a KPI.
 

VineyIsLORD

Norm Smith Medallist
May 6, 2016
5,437
5,362
AFL Club
Melbourne
ABC reporting that Duterte has "requested" the Communist NPA to track down and murder all drug traffickers. The NPA regularly execute anyone who commits "crimes against the people".

A body in a Manila slum has been found with a cardboard sign saying "I am a Chinese drug lord" draped over it.

Say what you want about the NPA or the Filipino government but its definitely better to see them working together instead of fighting and kidnapping eachother.
 
Back