More than 16 million people voted Rodrigo Duterte into the presidency on May 9th 2016. Approximately 26 million cast their vote on one of the other candidates, with Mar Roxas in second place (10 million). Duterte took office on June 30th 2016.
During the campaign and even more after the elections the Philippines split up, despite a call from almost all candidates to unite. The division became even deeper after Duterte really started his' war' on illegal drugs in which until the 3rd week of September 3,338 people were killed in both police operations and by extra judicial or vigilante-style killings .
It's 'Dutertards' versus 'Yellowtards' (Yellow is the color of the Liberal Party) now. Back and forth the supporters use nouns and adjectives to picture and call each other names. There's practically no serious content driven discussion between the representatives of both camps.
The level of discussion is approximately as follows: You 'Yellowtards' are crybabies, crying for the human rights of criminals and not for those of the victims. Do criminals care about human rights? Why should we care about theirs? You are elitist, born with a golden spoon, moralists that never had to worry about the price of rice. You 'Dutertards' are delusional, lazy, stupid, ignorant, retarded, trolls and uneducated morons. Your president abuses his power to kill innocent people and empowers you to threaten and become killers yourself. He creates the rule of jungle and abolishes the rule of law.
I tend to believe that this level of discussion will not help the country going forward.
To assume that all 16 million people that voted for Duterte are stupid, retarded, ignorant and uneducated idiots most likely doesn't match with reality. A survey conducted by Pulse Asia between 2 and 8 July 2016 showed that 91% of the Filipinos trusted their new president, which means that far more than the 16 million who voted for him are still happy with the outcome of the election. Why?
Rodrigo Duterte shows his middle-finger to the world. He uses strong and understandable language. He promises to fight poverty, corruption, criminality and drugs. He talks peace with the communists and the Moros. He says he will fight the oligarchs who and the mining industry that robs and destroys the country only for personal gain and profit. He takes a firm stand on cleaning up the government. Duterte presents himself as independent and unconventional. That is what people like about him. He can hardly be called a representative of the traditional political order. Change is his trademark.
There is at least some logic in the election result. According to Einstein's definition it would be a sign of insanity to vote for the traditional politicians, for the representatives of the political dynasties and expect a different outcome or change. I know, Duterte himself is a representative of a dynasty too, however on a different (local) level. Many Filipinos gave him the benefit of the doubt. He carries a heavy burden on his shoulders to live up to his promises and deliver. The 'war' on drugs and his witch hunt for Senator De Lima, the way high profile drug lords are presented in a probe of the House of Representatives or are able to leave the country until now are tolerated and even defended by millions desperately longing for change. However the first cracks in the bastion are showing. Even if criminals don't respect human rights that is not a good reason to lower yourself or the country to their level.
More than 25% of the Filipino people are still living in poverty and below the poverty line. Inequality increases every day. The workforce is abused, wages are too low to sustain and maintain a family. Corruption also is a consequence of poverty. What would you do if you have to support a family and earn 10,000 pesos a month?
Duterte's focus has to change rapidly to show results in his fight against poverty and corruption. If not he's likely to lose support much faster than he might expect. An uplift of the discussion level between 'Dutertards' and the rest might help to detect the right course for the country.
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