The killing fields

Be careful what you wish for. Voters mesmerized by the tough-talking Rodrigo Duterte were given this warning in the 2016 elections, but brushed it aside and gave him a stunning landslide win.

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

It's unclear if lessons were learned from the six years during which Duterte carried out his campaign promise to kill, kill, kill.

Unable to fulfill the part about eliminating the drug menace in six months, he sustained his effort to deliver on his campaign promise during his six years in power. By most accounts, he had hoped to apply nationwide the so-called “Davao model” of fighting the drug scourge, which his camp claims had worked effectively in his turf Davao City (Duterte critics disagree).

Even as blood flowed in the streets, mostly in low-income communities, survey after survey gave Duterte high approval ratings. He apparently regarded this as a blank check to carry out his crackdown against illegal drugs, using his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement. His attitude was, you asked for it, you got it.

Sen. Bong Go was correct in pointing out that this tough stance on law enforcement enjoyed public support, including from lawmakers who always applauded Duterte’s pronouncements on the drug war. Today many of these lawmakers, Go sniffed, were falling all over themselves to investigate Duterte and his officials for the conduct of the war on drugs.

Duterte in fact stepped down from office still enjoying impressively high survey ratings, which he transferred to the UniTeam in 2022, with his daughter Inday Sara garnering even more votes as Vice President than standard bearer Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Frustration with the compromised, snail-paced judicial system and weak rule of law have made Filipinos open to short cuts to justice. Dirty Harry types have enjoyed strong voter support.