What is Rodrigo Duterte doing to improve the Philippines?

[Johnny1975]

I'm always trying to keep up to date as to what he's doing and what changes he's making. Hopefully the country will improve in a lot of ways, and maybe one day I'll realistically consider going there.

[starchild5]

The main stream propaganda has started and tagging him as a killer. He has done many of things already but it won't be highlighted in the press.

The western press actually wants Philippines to be the haven for criminals and drug lords like UK where they loot other countries and hide in UK in the name of human rights. UK should be the first country to be banned from international community for allowing so many criminals to hide there.

Drugs are openly available in many cities in Europe...I have seen in with my own eyes, Black guys selling drugs in Cologne,,,,out in the open..No cops, No Fear ...

He is tough because third world countries needs guys with balls to sort the mess out. I next five years, Philippines will change for good.

[livefreeordie]

For starters he seems serious about getting rid of the corruption, even though he seems a bit heavy handed with killing drug dealers and users. Seems to violate the Philippines constitution regarding due process of law, but perhaps its gotten that bad desperate measures need to be taken?

Ive heard that many criminals /corrupt dictators make UK a base, can you explain more starchild?

See how things go it will be really good if he can gt back some of those billions of dollars stolen by the previous corrupt politicians, but that might be his hardest challenge yet. Seems like the people over here love him and have so much faith in him, haven't really seen the mainstream media get stuck into him much, considering he is offering cash bounties for killing drug dealers and users

[Yohan]

Street criminality is rampant in Philippines, everywhere. It's not only about Muslim terrorists, communist freedom fighters etc. but also about ordinary Christian criminals, any kind of corrupt officals, foreign criminals using Philippines as a hide-out etc...

As a fact, Duterte as mayor of Davao made this city with his 'kill them all' policy the safest city in Philippines.

I think he has a lot of support from Filipinos who are tired of all these daily street crimes, burglaries, armed robberies, drug-sellers, pickpockets, aggressive beggars, theft, shoplifting, fraternity gangs etc.

It was about the same in Singapore 40 years ago - Late president Lee Kuan Yew, a very controversial dictator, was cleaning up - hanging all drug dealers, smashing all cars of taxi drivers cheating the fare, beating hooligans up with the rattan, even forgetting to flush the public toilet after use is resulting in a high fine... Today Singapore is one of the safest, richest and cleanest places in this world.

[cdnFA]

It was about the same in Singapore 40 years ago - Late president Lee Kuan Yew, a very controversial dictator, was cleaning up - hanging all drug dealers, smashing all cars of taxi drivers cheating the fare, beating hooligans up with the rattan, even forgetting to flush the public toilet after use is resulting in a high fine... Today Singapore is one of the safest, richest and cleanest places in this world.

Yes but did he allow the cops to met out punishment or did these people have to be tried and found guilty.
There is a world of difference between having a harsh legal system and having a harsh vigilante system.

[starchild5]

For starters he seems serious about getting rid of the corruption, even though he seems a bit heavy handed with killing drug dealers and users. Seems to violate the Philippines constitution regarding due process of law, but perhaps its gotten that bad desperate measures need to be taken?

Ive heard that many criminals /corrupt dictators make UK a base, can you explain more starchild?

See how things go it will be really good if he can gt back some of those billions of dollars stolen by the previous corrupt politicians, but that might be his hardest challenge yet. Seems like the people over here love him and have so much faith in him, haven't really seen the mainstream media get stuck into him much, considering he is offering cash bounties for killing drug dealers and users

UK is the most corrupt country on the planet. They harbor, all rapist, murderers, corrupt politicians from all over the world.

Just form India alone, we have over 100 rapists, Murderers, loan defaulters, hiding in UK in the name of Human Rights. I read even China has over 300...Almost, all of African dictators who murder millions find a refuge in UK.

Media is hyping this up to hide the crime in UK.

UK is worse than Africa in terms of human rights. In India, no one fears the law, because, they could just go to UK and claim asylum.

Just recently, Vijay Mallaya, who defaulted billion in loans, refused to pay workers their salary for years, which resulted in many employee committing suicide...went to UK and claimed asylum.

He is one of the most wanted criminal in India now, but UK is protecting him

[livefreeordie]

For starters he seems serious about getting rid of the corruption, even though he seems a bit heavy handed with killing drug dealers and users. Seems to violate the Philippines constitution regarding due process of law, but perhaps its gotten that bad desperate measures need to be taken?

Ive heard that many criminals /corrupt dictators make UK a base, can you explain more starchild?

See how things go it will be really good if he can gt back some of those billions of dollars stolen by the previous corrupt politicians, but that might be his hardest challenge yet. Seems like the people over here love him and have so much faith in him, haven't really seen the mainstream media get stuck into him much, considering he is offering cash bounties for killing drug dealers and users

UK is the most corrupt country on the planet. They harbor, all rapist, murderers, corrupt politicians from all over the world.

Just form India alone, we have over 100 rapists, Murderers, loan defaulters, hiding in UK in the name of Human Rights. I read even China has over 300...Almost, all of African dictators who murder millions find a refuge in UK.

Media is hyping this up to hide the crime in UK.

UK is worse than Africa in terms of human rights. In India, no one fears the law, because, they could just go to UK and claim asylum.

Just recently, Vijay Mallaya, who defaulted billion in loans, refused to pay workers their salary for years, which resulted in many employee committing suicide...went to UK and claimed asylum.

He is one of the most wanted criminal in India now, but UK is protecting him

That's fascinating, so these criminals are using human rights as justification? I've been coming across evidence that the legal system seems to have been protecting the really bad criminals for some time now, especially if they are part of the elite circles.

I wonder why or what the agenda is at work here, I wonder how they make money off this? Perhaps this is just more of the freemasonic 'order out of chaos' deal the British colonial system has been perfecting for centuries

I agree with other poster creating a harsh vigilante system while ignoring the due process provisions and a right to a fair trial as written about in the excellent Philippines Constitution is a dangerous combination. I mean what's stopping the president from becoming an even worse dictator than anyone in the past? He could even label his enemies as 'drug Lords' and have them killed, as I'm sure has been done to innocent people already who got in someone's way. Maybe shoot the poor bastard and scatter some dope bags and wa-la another extrajudicial execution being approved!

[starchild5]

Yeah...Its freemasonic Jewish sh*t that third world people have to deal with....They have tagged certain countries to remain poor and India and Philippines is one of them.

Its not really that hard to become a developed country. People are generally good, but the cabal ain't...They have sabotaged India for a long long time using covert operations.

Human Rights is a tool to kill poor countries even more.

Its a done deal that, in India, you can loot and destroy the country and UK will allow you to migrate and would not allow deportation using Human Rights claim. Every freaking criminal in India, has fled to the JewK

More over, since the jews don't give up...The entire government is run by Jews themselves.

Only Duterte is not part of the cabal in Asia, and that is why he is taking so much heat even from the UN and Western "Democracies"

The one thing we know is...Jews love Dictators..as we have seen in Africa and South America. If they saw any chance of Duterte becoming a dictator, they would be all over him

They know, he is not one of them...That is why all these propaganda of What If's...

HE IS REALLY A GOOD GUY. PERIOD.

[joesixpack]

I'm not much of a fan of Duterte, but I have a question for you guys that support him. Do you really believe this is the best way to reduce the drug problem, or are you just taking the popular opinion to gain favor with Filipinos? If he becomes a hated tyrant, will you switch sides then? Serious questions.

[Yohan]

I'm not much of a fan of Duterte, but I have a question for you guys that support him. Do you really believe this is the best way to reduce the drug problem, or are you just taking the popular opinion to gain favor with Filipinos? If he becomes a hated tyrant, will you switch sides then? Serious questions.

In Philippines there are elections and Duterte will not stay for always, he is not young anymore.
Many Filipinos are willing to give him a chance to clean up.

Best way or not, who knows? But what is the alternative? So far all what various Philippine governments tried during decades simply failed.
It's not only about drugs, it's about criminality of any kind. It's from the poorest street children up to these corrupt rich family clans, everybody is stealing, taking something away which does not belong to them etc. etc.

So what to do? To continue as it is now or to fight it out with criminals?

The last person, of course also highly corrupt himself, who was fighting it out with criminals was the late president Ferdinand Marcos. The military was always firmly behind him.

He was never willing to enter any compromise with Muslims, communists, but also with street criminals and similar violent groups and at least at that time, as a foreigner you were perfectly safe in the Philippines. Now not any more.

It is grotesk that many Filipinos agree, that under Marcos it was better than it is now. I can confirm that this is true, I am visiting Philippines frequently since almost 30 years.

About Duterte, he did it in the same way as elected mayor of the city of Davao, the largest city in Mindanao and he was clearly successful. During his time the city became quickly the safest place in all Philippines for ordinary citizens after removing over 1000 gangsters from the streets straight into the coffin. He ignored any talk from do-gooders about human rights for criminals a la Amnesty International. Catholic Church etc. He just continued until all these criminal gang members were hunted down, killed or moved out of Davao.

[Rock]

I'm not much of a fan of Duterte, but I have a question for you guys that support him. Do you really believe this is the best way to reduce the drug problem, or are you just taking the popular opinion to gain favor with Filipinos? If he becomes a hated tyrant, will you switch sides then? Serious questions.

I've been living in Phils for awhile as an expat and personally, I've been longing for some time that a strong figure would come along to crack heads and kick ass. Desperate times require desperate measures.

I'm tired of having riff-raff come around me and try to lift things from my bag or pockets while middle class bystanders do nothing but watch when I shout out warnings. In Davao, those characters would get an instant beat down by the empowered public. Some may even get killed. Not so in Makati, at least not quite yet. Still waiting for Duterte effect to sink in here.

I'm tired of waiting weeks and months for so-called civil servants in City Hall to process my work which Duterte says should be done in 72 hours. Really would love to see him fire their asses for laziness and incompetence.

I'm tired of dealing with turtle speed Internet and 3G from the 90s from the likes of Globe and PLDT. Duterte, please open the doors to foreign competition and while you're at it, punish those teleco execs who tortured the public here so long with their oligopoly tactics.

Oh and I'm tired of spending 2-3 hours in a taxi for 7.5 km ride to the airport! Metro Manila is on it's way to becoming a big parking lot with vehicle numbers expanding at annual double digit rates. A leader like Duterte can do something extreme enough like SP style private auto taxes, bringing in transport execs to re-jig the Jeepny routes, fix and add cars to MRT and LRT systems, or just keep throngs of bystanders from wasting public space on drinking fiestas and drug abuse.

It seems the president here actually has some big power if he's brave and bold enough to use it. That he can stand up to congress, the elite, and other opposition and implement things right here right now. This country is in such dire need of a leader who will bring the people together in a positive directions and instill discipline and dignity. Who if not Duterte could that be?

Yes, when you have a strongman with good intentions, some innocents probably do get harmed in the desperate rush to improve things. No system is perfect. If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's possible to be an innocent victim of the current war on drugs. It happened in SP too. But if things go well, the end result is an environment where you worry much less about the personal safety of your family and yourself. Where people gang together against the scum of society and do them in. It's the only way I can imagine if you want things to improve.

[Yohan]

I've been living in Phils for awhile as an expat and personally, I've been longing for some time that a strong figure would come along to crack heads and kick a**. Desperate times require desperate measures.

.....

I'm tired of waiting weeks and months for so-called civil servants in City Hall to process my work which Duterte says should be done in 72 hours. Really would love to see him fire their asses for laziness and incompetence.

True, I fully agree with you.

They will process your work even within 4 hours, but only if you give them a bribe, cash helps to save waiting time. This is everywhere the same, in every office in all Philippines. If not it will be somewhere in a drawer, it will be done but only several months later after trying to extort some money from the applicants.

But let me add something more about ordinary street criminality. In Cebu City it is now going so far, that you can feel really safe only in secure guarded areas as a foreigner. You want to visit some beach, better pay for a guarded resort, you want to visit some hill, see some greenery, do it only on a private guarded hill, of course you pay entrance fees (=protection money) to those family clans which own 80 percent of the land in all Philippines.

Outside of these safe zones, there is often nothing but poverty - best is to drive through with a taxi, doors locked. Somehow Philippine street criminality can be compared with Mexico, South Africa etc. I know about rich parents in Cebu, who have to bring and pick up their children to/from university in a car with armed body guard and armed driver to avoid kidnapping. Their houses are wrap with barbed wire.

My Filipina foster daughter together with her 2 friends were robbed at gun point in a simple restaurant next to St. Carlos university in Cebu. Robinson Department was robbed in bright daylight, luckily a seriously wounded policeman was still able to use his machine gun and fired a full round into the car of these gangsters. There are security guards for churches and written warnings, that God and the Devil are everywhere, beware of pickpockets in the church during mess... etc. etc. Yes, there are people out who pray for forgiveness while stealing at the same time during the mess. Can you believe that?

About Duterte, yes he can do something about it, the Philippine president has a lot of power, however Duterte plays with his life - he knows that, but does not care. We will see... maybe he survives his term, maybe not...

[Rock]

I've been living in Phils for awhile as an expat and personally, I've been longing for some time that a strong figure would come along to crack heads and kick a**. Desperate times require desperate measures.

.....

I'm tired of waiting weeks and months for so-called civil servants in City Hall to process my work which Duterte says should be done in 72 hours. Really would love to see him fire their asses for laziness and incompetence.

True, I fully agree with you.

They will process your work even within 4 hours, but only if you give them a bribe, cash helps to save waiting time. This is everywhere the same, in every office in all Philippines. If not it will be somewhere in a drawer, it will be done but only several months later after trying to extort some money from the applicants.

But let me add something more about ordinary street criminality. In Cebu City it is now going so far, that you can feel really safe only in secure guarded areas as a foreigner. You want to visit some beach, better pay for a guarded resort, you want to visit some hill, see some greenery, do it only on a private guarded hill, of course you pay entrance fees (=protection money) to those family clans which own 80 percent of the land in all Philippines.

Outside of these safe zones, there is often nothing but poverty - best is to drive through with a taxi, doors locked. Somehow Philippine street criminality can be compared with Mexico, South Africa etc. I know about rich parents in Cebu, who have to bring and pick up their children to/from university in a car with armed body guard and armed driver to avoid kidnapping. Their houses are wrap with barbed wire.

My Filipina foster daughter together with her 2 friends were robbed at gun point in a simple restaurant next to St. Carlos university in Cebu. Robinson Department was robbed in bright daylight, luckily a seriously wounded policeman was still able to use his machine gun and fired a full round into the car of these gangsters. There are security guards for churches and written warnings, that God and the Devil are everywhere, beware of pickpockets in the church during mess... etc. etc. Yes, there are people out who pray for forgiveness while stealing at the same time during the mess. Can you believe that?

About Duterte, yes he can do something about it, the Philippine president has a lot of power, however Duterte plays with his life - he knows that, but does not care. We will see... maybe he survives his term, maybe not...

In my case here in Makati, I have not seen opportunities to bribe the BIR or various offices in City Hall. They are too afraid to engage in that sort of behavior it seems as there are postings here and there warning against fixing, etc. More recently I'm working with local government in Mandalyong and they may be a bit more open to 'speedy processing' when I get to the stage where I will need it. Currently bottle neck is somewhere else not related to them though.

When I go to Cebu, I'm generally in IT Park area, Ayala area, or sometimes Fuente or Lapu x 2 near Newtown. I stayed in Colon one night once but didn't like it at all. Here in Metro Manila, it's Makati Ave. from river to Greenbelt, JP Rizal from Makati Ave. to EDSA, Boni/Ortigas area, or BGC. Once in awhile, I get up to SM North, certain areas around Quezon Ave., Binando, or Intramurious. I take MRT/LRT or jeepneys sometimes too tho much less now that Grab has become widely available and convenient. With that in mind, I've not found my bubbles in Phils. to be what I consider a high assault risk. For me, it falls in the middle here. I find occasional would be assailants or pick-pocketers are thwarted by showing awareness and when needed aggressive body language. This place is nothing like Salvador, Santo Domingo, Montego Bay, Nairobi, or Cali where attackers will hit you up in broad daylight at well-to-do tourist areas and boldly mug you or snatch from you on the spot. Also attackers in those cities tend to be a lot quicker and tougher than the riff raff around urban Phils.

[MarcosZeitola]

I'm not much of a fan of Duterte, but I have a question for you guys that support him. Do you really believe this is the best way to reduce the drug problem, or are you just taking the popular opinion to gain favor with Filipinos? If he becomes a hated tyrant, will you switch sides then? Serious questions.

I honestly believe his way is the best way. I would not take popular opinion just to gain favor with the locals - a lot of folks in our Barangay voted for Binay, if I wanted to gain their favor I would stop saying he's a corrupt asshole but I'm obviously not. Now as for switching sides? Maybe. If he becomes out of control, I may switch sides. I was very displeased, when he said the leader of the NPA, New People's Army could return from exile. That man has been ordering the deaths of Filipino soldiers from abroad for decades now, and when news broke of Joma Sison's potential pardon, some of my Filipino friends who are in the military said it was "a spit in their face".

[Johnny1975]

Two things that piss me off :

1) The answer to every problem always has to be a bullet. People being shot in the streets, where kids can see. Death is normalized. Uncivilized animals.
2) If the country really gets cleaned up, it might go too far, lose its character, and become just like the sterile blah that is Singapore.