"Asian Trump", Philippine Leader Fights War on Drugs and Causes Controversy

12/13/2016 - 11h27

Rodrigo Duterte has already been dubbed the "Asian Trump" by the eastern press.

But there are far more differences than similarities between the Philippine leader, who has been president since July, and president-elect Donald Trump.

Both have attracted plenty of attention for their vulgar vocabulary and aggressive remarks.

Duterte has cursed Obama, threatened to implement martial law in his country, told journalists they could get killed and compared himself to Hitler - the only statement he apologized for.

However, while Trump is a political outsider, Duterte governed the city of Davao for 20 years, the same city where over 1,000 people were killed by death squads, those who are underage cannot go out without supervision after 10 pm and alcohol can't be sold after 2am.

CRIME'S WORST ENEMY

Both politicians set up an aggressive campaign in order to gain the support of those who weren't contemplated by economic progress.

But the common enemy Duterte summoned was not a significant portion of the electorate, rather opponents who were much easier to rally against: "the criminals".

Duterte earned the title "The Punisher", a term that captures a kind of ambivalence in the English language - which is taught in schools in the Philippines. He is seen as someone capable of instituting law and order through violence.

The president has sponsored a war on drugs that has already led to more than 6,000 fatalities, two-thirds of which were caused by death squads which, according to its opponents, are sponsored by the government. Duterte has already stated that he doesn't mind death squads.

His zero-tolerance and vindictive rhetoric - which goes together well with his nickname - was what got him elected in a country where more than half the population considers itself poor and that it does not partake in the country's economic growth which has hovered around 7% annually.

Duterte, who can swiftly shift from a calm and articulate message to a series of crass jokes, cursing and threats, knows how to get an audience rowdy.

His detractors, on the other hand, have even resorted to his psychological evaluation that was used when his marriage with his ex-wife was annulled.

RUTHLESSNESS

According to Natividad Dayan, the former president of the International Council for Psychologists who was also responsible for the psychological evaluation, the president has an antisocial personality disorder and is a narcissist whose personality traits include "crassness, egocentrism, manipulative behavior and megalomania".

According to the evaluation, Duterte is impulsive and incapable of reflecting on the consequences of his actions.

Politicians, diplomats and journalists who have been around the president told Folha that he came off as someone who was incredibly cordial, friendly and gentlemanlike.

Duterte, who considers himself a socialist, was a pro-business mayor in the city of Davao, having defended platforms such as lower taxes and deregulation.

The 80% of Filipinos who support his administration are hoping he will be able to bring about social justice, especially through the labor, agrarian and land reforms he proposed during his campaign.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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