Justice the Philippines President way the way to go?

[MenInG]

Philippines President Duterte 'once killed man with Uzi'

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37370848

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte allegedly once shot dead a justice department agent with an Uzi submachine gun while serving as mayor of Davao.

The allegation was made by Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed former death squad member, before a Senate inquiry on extra-judicial killings.

Mr Duterte, he alleged, ordered him and others to kill about 1,000 criminals or political rivals over a 25-year period.
One government minister called the allegations "lies and fabrications"

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said Mr Matobato was "obviously not telling the truth" while presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said investigations into the president's time as mayor had gone nowhere.

From 'Punisher' to Philippines president

Mr Matobato, 57, said he had been a member of the Davao Death Squad, a notorious vigilante group allegedly responsible for hundreds of killings.

"Our job was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers," he said.

But he also said that Mr Duterte's opponents had been targeted too, including four bodyguards of a local rival for mayor, Prospero Nograles.

In 1993, he said his group had injured a justice department agent after a confrontation at a road block.

"Mayor Duterte was the one who finished him off," he said.

"Jamisola [the justice department official] was still alive when he [Duterte] arrived. He emptied two Uzi magazines on him."

Mosque attack

Victims would be shot or strangled, he said, with some disembowelled and dumped into the sea so fish could eat them, or in one case fed to a crocodile.

He told the Senate panel he had gone from a witness protection programme into hiding when Mr Duterte became president, fearing for his life.

Edgar Matobato appears before the a Philippines senate committeeImage copyrightAP

Mr Duterte has continued his hard-line policies on drugs into his presidency

Mr Matobato also alleged Mr Duterte had ordered the bombing of a mosque in retaliation for an attack on Davao Cathedral in 1993.
On this claim, Mr Duterte's spokesman, Martin Andanar, said "I don't think he is capable of giving those orders."

He said the country's Commission on Human Rights had failed to even prove the existence of the Davao Death Squad.

Prospero Nograles' son Karlo, a Davao city representative, challenged Mr Matobato's account relating to his father's bodyguards.

"I don't know what this guy is talking about," he wrote on Facebook.

"I can only suspect that this guy is being manipulated by some people to only serve their own selfish interests."

Clashes at inquiry

The woman leading the Senate inquiry into extra-judicial killings, Leila de Lima, is a strong critic of Mr Duterte and has been accused by him of having links to the illegal drug trade, something she denies.

At one point, she and an ally of Mr Duterte, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, clashed, with Mr Cayetano questioning Mr Matobato's credibility and accusing him of being part of a plot to unseat the Philippines' president.

Mr Duterte became mayor of Davao in 1988, and his tough stance saw crime rates plummet, an approach he has vowed to replicate at national level.

In June this after winning the presidency he effectively sanctioned the public killing of drug suspects, telling a rally "if you destroy my country, I will kill you".

Since his election more than 3,000 drug users and dealers have been killed in in police operations or by vigilantes, according to the authorities, amid international alarm over human rights violations.

But Mr Duterte has dismissed concerns over his drugs policies, calling UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "a fool" and referring to US President Barack Obama as a "son of a *****", something he later said he regretted.

 

[troodon]

Mr.Duterte seems to be a Christian fundamentalist from what I read about him in News. May be I am wrong. His stance on gays and how unchristian it is shows it.

He seems to be doing some good things like tacking drug mafia.

He is also in the News again for saying that Muslim women cannot wear Burka in public and they should show their face to traffic police.

He does not seem to be the one who cares what others think. Very hot blooded person.

 

[MenInG]

Well he has popularity back home so guess he is riding it but the issue really is whether the judiciary is strong enough to take him on

 

[Saeed]

His intention might be good but what he has introduced is not good. People now can accuse anyone of being a drug seller and take their lives with no consequences. Who would want to line in this type of society?

I was reading an article about this on Huffingtonpost yesterday. A woman was holding her husband's dead body and someone shot him because he supposedly sold drugs. She said he was only a rikshaw driver. Just shows how people misuse any power given to them. Duterte thinks he is a savior but he will be remembered as a goon who destroyed peace.

 

[sweep_shot]

MANILA — The Philippines’ war on drugs has killed thousands, drawn global condemnation and enmeshed the police force in scandal. Yet President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody campaign is overwhelmingly popular here.

The reasons are manifold, but they hinge on Filipinos’ apparent willingness to overlook the death toll as long as Duterte’s government satisfies their individual economic and political interests, analysts say. The politician promised to eradicate criminals — “kill them all,” he said — and Filipinos appear to view Duterte as keeping his word.

The country’s police chief resigned this month over accusations that he allowed 13 officers to resell confiscated drugs and release a crucial suspect. The chief, Oscar Albayalde, denied the allegations, which date from his time as a provincial commander in 2013. Investigators called for graft and drugs charges against him.

The controversy is a blow to the credibility of the police, inviting renewed scrutiny of the drug war. But experts said it is unlikely to derail Duterte’s signature policy.

“The war on drugs has been synonymous with the president. They mutually feed each other,” said Francisco Ashley Acedillo, a former lawmaker. “Until one is undone, the other will not be undone.”

In September, the government cited an 82 percent satisfaction rating for the drug war in a Social Weather Stations survey as it pushed back on a U.N. resolution calling for the investigation of human rights violations. Police records show over 6,000 deaths in anti-drug operations, but human rights watchdogs count more than 20,000 others killed by unknown perpetrators.

Polling released last month put Duterte’s satisfaction rating at 78 percent, slightly below previous results. The president enjoyed a higher rating of “very good to excellent” among wealthier Filipinos, but his popularity among the poorest respondents has decreased.

On the campaign trail, Duterte diagnosed drugs as the scourge of society, claiming their use was connected with rape and murder. The narrative struck a chord with his supporters, propelling him to victory in 2016 elections. (Officials in 2015 estimated there were 1.8 million drug users in the Philippines.)

Duterte was the only candidate who offered a solution to the prevalence of drugs, a longtime frustration among the urban poor, said Jennifer Oreta, an assistant professor of political science at Ateneo de Manila University.

But the crackdown targets the poorest citizens while satisfying the middle class and overseas Filipinos who are pivotal in determining election outcomes, Oreta said.

For Maria, who lost a brother and father to the drug war in 2016, the shake-up among senior police is “just right.” She asked to be identified by only her first name for safety reasons.

Plainclothes police killed her father when they stormed her house past midnight in a slum north of Manila, she said. He was listed as one of the deaths in police operations. As she readied his funeral arrangements the next day, her brother’s body was wheeled in, covered in packaging tape.

“Some people are scared to talk because [Duterte] is still sitting in power. But when he’s gone, they’ll come out,” Maria said.

So far, Duterte has emerged relatively unscathed even when he has taken positions at odds with public sentiment, notably his turn away from the United States and pivot toward China.

Polls show that Filipinos distrust Beijing — which asserts sovereignty over waters claimed by the Philippines — but perhaps not enough to bother rural communities that stand to benefit from Chinese infrastructure loans. When Duterte appeared to side with Beijing after a Chinese trawler sank a Philippine fishing boat, his popularity was largely unaffected.

While cozying up to China, Duterte has raised salaries for the armed forces, effectively buying the acquiescence of a group that had expressed concerns about Beijing’s expansion in the South China Sea, senior military officials have said.

Several scandals have rocked the police force during his term. In 2016, authorities revealed that a kidnapped South Korean national was killed in police headquarters, and his ashes flushed down a toilet. The killing of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos the following year led to the only conviction of police officers in a drug-war-related killing.

However, the head of the police then, Ronald dela Rosa, went on to win a seat in the Senate, having won over voters by participating in game shows and using a mascot to poke fun at himself.

Acedillo, the former congressman, said the Philippines’ institutions are often personality-driven, helping to explain the appeal of strongman-style leaders.

But not all Filipinos support the way Duterte has prosecuted the drug war.

Amnesty International cites previous surveys showing that Filipinos fear for their families’ lives and prefer due process over summary executions.

“While surveys would show that many Filipinos appear to support the anti-drug campaign as a way to tackle crime, they also show the public have serious, growing concerns,” said Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty’s director for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “After scandal upon scandal, the mood seems to be shifting.”

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, calls Duterte’s continued popularity “a mystery” and all the more reason for international institutions to step in to stem the carnage.

The International Criminal Court is probing killings in the Philippines, prompting Duterte to retaliate by withdrawing the country’s membership.

But in the absence of more-forceful external intervention, experts say, the drug war’s toll shows no sign of easing.

“The operation has taken a life of its own,” said Oreta, the political scientist. “It won’t stop just because there’s controversy on top.”

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...db542a-f494-11e9-b2d2-1f37c9d82dbb_story.html.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Duterte has a 80% approval rating cause of his harsh stance of corruption when he was mayor of Davos.
He's done fine so far.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

The key for him now is his push for infrastructure, chinese funded.

 

[Firebat]

Philippines drugs war: UN report criticises 'permission to kill'

Thousands of people have been killed amid "near impunity" for offenders in the war the Philippines has waged on illegal drugs since 2016, the UN says.

Its report levelled heavy criticism at President Rodrigo Duterte's government.

His drugs crackdown has been marked by high-level rhetoric that can be seen as "permission to kill", the report said, urging an independent investigation.

The administration has in the past rejected all criticism of its policies and denies the killings are illegal.

Official figures show more than 8,000 people were killed in the war on drugs since Mr Duterte took office in 2016. Other estimates put the figure three times as high.

The report found that most victims are young poor urban males and that police, who do not need search or arrest warrants to conduct house raids, systematically force suspects to make self-incriminating statements or risk facing lethal force.

Spoiler

What does the report say?
The 26-page report, prepared by Michelle Bachelet, the United Nation's High Commissioner for Human Rights, examined nearly 900 written submissions from human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists and the Duterte administration.

In one section, the report said the police's key policy note contained "ominous" and "ill-defined language" such as "neutralising" suspects, and that coupled with "rhetoric at high levels calling for the killings of drug offenders", it was taken as a permission by the police to kill.

"In the context of the campaign against illegal drugs, there has been near impunity for such violations."

According to the UN, statements from the highest levels of government had "risen to the level of incitement to violence" and "vilification of dissent is being increasingly institutionalised."

The report suggests that "the human rights situation in the Philippines is marked by an overarching focus on public order and national security, including countering terrorism and illegal drugs" and that this was "often at the expense of human rights, due process rights, the rule of law and accountability".

What does the Duterte administration say?
It is not the first time his government has been criticised for its brutality in cracking down on drugs and crime.

But so far the Duterte administration has always rejected allegations of wrongdoing and when the UN voted to launch its investigation, Manila branded the probe as a "travesty". According to the UN report, there has been only one conviction for murder despite thousands having been killed.

Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency on a platform of crushing crime and fixing the country's drugs crisis. Despite the many killings he remains very popular in the country.

But for the UN report's co-author Ravina Shamdasani, positive opinion polls should not be used to justify bloody campaigns like the drug war.

"The government has a duty under its constitution and under human rights law to protect people from human rights violations," Ms Shamdasani said. "Just because it is popular does not make it right."

What has happened in the drug war?
President Rodrigo Duterte launched his anti-narcotics campaign after taking office in 2016 to deal with a rampant drug problem.

"On the basis of information reviewed, the drug campaign-related killings appear to have a widespread and systematic character. The most conservative figure, based on government data, suggests that since July 2016, 8,663 people have been killed - with other estimates of up to triple that number," the UN report said.

The OHCHR said it ultimately could not verify the number of extrajudicial killings without further investigation.

In December 2018, the country's Commission on Human Rights (CHR) estimated the number of drug-war killings could be as high as 27,000.

Officially, the police say they kill only in self-defence - for example, during drug-bust operations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52917560

 

[MenInG]

This man has been busy doing what he likes - just another version of Trump

 

[Giannis]

He's a mad man.

 

[sweep_shot]

He's a mad man.

To be fair, Philippines has serious crime problem. People voted for him to tackle crimes.

He may go overboard at times but I think he has enough popularity.

 

[sweep_shot]

If he is targeting criminals, I don't see much issue (as long as he is not targeting innocent people).

 

[Giannis]

If he is targeting criminals, I don't see much issue (as long as he is not targeting innocent people).

Let the courts decide who the criminals are. His job is to reform the police and improve the judicial system, not carry out extrajudicial killings by abusing executive powers.

 

[sweep_shot]

Let the courts decide who the criminals are. His job is to reform the police and improve the judicial system, not carry out extrajudicial killings by abusing executive powers.

Third world countries don't work that way. Only force works in those countries.

If he has reduced crimes there, I say he has done well.

 

[Giannis]

Third world countries don't work that way. Only force works in those countries.

If he has reduced crimes there, I say he has done well.

Philippines is not third world

 

[angrypathan]

Extrajudicial killings are not the way. It may be a quicker fix, but there will always be the collateral deaths of innocents, which is unacceptable. There's also the massive potential for exploitation, where political or personal enemies can be labelled as drug dealers and essentially executed, much like blasphemy allegations in Pakistan.

 

[MenInG]

President Rodrigo Duterte renewed on Friday a threat to kill drug dealers after the Philippines seized 756kg (1,667lbs) of crystal methamphetamine just a day after the United Nations found "near impunity" in the drug war that has defined his administration.

The drugs, with a market value that police estimated at 5.1 billion pesos ($102m), was one of the biggest seizures in recent years, and Duterte said it was proof that the Philippines had become a transhipment point for illegal drugs.

"If you destroy my country distributing 5.1 billion pesos worth of shabu ... I will kill you," Duterte said in recorded address, referring to the drugs.

The "war on drugs" has been a cornerstone of Duterte's presidency since he came to power in the Philippines in 2016, despite criticism from opponents and human rights groups of widespread abuses.

The UN said in a report on Thursday that tens of thousands of people may have been killed amid "near impunity" for police and incitement to violence by top officials.

Government data puts the number of suspected drug dealers and users killed in anti-narcotics operations since July 2016 at 5,600.

'Abject failure'

Rights groups have accused the police of the summary execution of suspects. Police have denied the allegations, saying they have acted in self defence when suspects resisted arrest.

Duterte's office dismissed the UN report as "rehashed claims" and the accusation of impunity as unfounded.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, said the UN findings highlighted the "almost total" lack of accountability and the "abject failure" of justice in the country.

"With President Duterte continuing to urge killing drug users, so-called leftists and even violators of COVID-19 quarantine or curfew orders, there is little likelihood that national mechanisms will hold anyone responsible for the carnage of the drug war that has killed thousands of Filipinos," Robertson said in a statement following the UN report's release.

Duterte did not say where the drugs were believed to have come from, but said the Philippines was a transhipment centre for Mexican drug cartels.

Duterte also hurled insults at human rights groups for criticising his anti-narcotics campaign.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...e-renews-drug-war-threat-200605040527022.html

 

[MenInG]

In a case seen as a test of the Philippines' media freedom, journalist Maria Ressa has been found guilty of cyber libel.

She denied the charges and claimed they were politically motivated.

A former writer for her news site, Rappler, was also convicted. Both have been released on bail pending appeal, but could face six years in prison.

Press freedom advocates say the trial is aimed at silencing critics of President Rodrigo Duterte.

But the president and his supporters have accused her, and her site, of reporting fake news.

In a country where journalists are under threat, Ms Ressa's case became symbolic and closely-followed - both domestically and internationally.

What was she accused of?
The case against her relates to an eight-year-old Rappler story on businessman Wilfredo Keng's alleged ties to a former judge.

The prosecution came under a "cyber-libel" law which came into force in September 2012 - four months after Rappler published the article.

But prosecutors said a correction to the story in 2014 - to fix a "typo" - meant the article was covered by the law.

The judge on Monday said Rappler offered no proof to back up its allegations against Mr Keng.

Judge Rainelda Montea added that her verdict was based on evidence presented to the court - adding that freedom of the press "cannot be used as a shield" against libel.

Ms Ressa, 56, and her colleague were allowed to remain free on bail, pending a possible appeal.

But if the conviction stands, it carries a sentence of up to six years.

"To all Filipinos, this isn't just about Rappler, this isn't just about us, this is about everyone of us," Ms Ressa said after the verdict.

"Freedom of the press is the foundation of every single right you have as a Filipino citizen."

Who is Maria Ressa?
Born in the Philippines, Ms Ressa grew up in the US and only returned to the country in the 1980s after the fall of authoritarian leader Ferdinand Marcos.

A former CNN journalist, she founded Rappler in 2012. It is one of the few local sites to openly criticise the Duterte administration and its brutal war on drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives.

Rappler and Ms Ressa have also been targeted in other court cases, ranging from tax evasion to foreign ownership violations.

At the scene
Howard Johnson, Philippines correspondent

I was directly behind Maria Ressa in court. She silently shook her head as the judge declared there had been no government influence on today's case.

She has long argued the case was politically-motivated - pointing to the 11 cases filed against Rappler in 2018, including charges of tax evasion and foreign ownership violations, as proof.

President Duterte once called Rappler a "fake news outlet" after being irked by reporting into his punitive policies, and alleged conflicts of interest in his inner circle - allegations he has always denied.

But lawyers for Wilfredo Keng insist today's case was about clearing the name of their client, after Rappler's allegations, citing an "intelligence report", that Mr Keng was involved in human trafficking and drug smuggling.

He has always denied the allegations.

Judge Rainelda Montea said Rappler had failed to present the report to the court - and hadn't verified the claims allegedly contained within it.

How are journalists treated in the Philippines?
While freedom of the press is guaranteed under the constitution, the Philippines is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, says US-based Freedom House.

"Private militias, often hired by local politicians, silence journalists with complete impunity," says Reporters Without Borders.

Critics of President Duterte say that since he came to power, the media has been subject to pressure and retaliation from the government, if it criticises the administration too strongly.

The verdict highlights the ability of the Philippines' abusive leader to manipulate the laws to go after critical, well-respected media voices whatever the ultimate cost to the country," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Last month, one of the country's leading broadcasters, ABS CBN went off air after it was ordered by the media regulator to stop operations while waiting for the renewal of its licence.

The channel has in the past angered President Duterte.

"With this latest assault on independent media, the human rights record of the Philippines continues its free fall," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Regional Director, Nicholas Bequelin, said.

"It is time for the UN to urgently open an international investigation into the country's human rights crisis, in line with the recent conclusions of the UN Human Rights office itself."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53046052

 

[MenInG]

It has been four years since Rodrigo Duterte took his oath as president of the Philippines, railing against the "erosion of faith and trust in government", while riding on a populist wave by promising "real change" and "transparency" to the country of more than 100 million people.

But as he enters his last two years in office on Tuesday, Duterte's leadership has proven hollow, analysts have said, adding that his handling of the continuing coronavirus pandemic has exposed his lack of serious policy, leaving many Filipinos to fend for themselves even as the economy faces its most serious challenge in decades.

From his war on drugs that killed thousands, to the deadly siege by ISIL-inspired fighters in the city of Marawi, and the current health emergency that already infected 36,000 people and killed more than 1,250 others, Duterte has relied on "militarist" approach to every major crisis he faced, even if it is not working, observers added.

Sonny Africa, executive director of the independent think-tank, IBON Foundation, said fixing the political and economic damage that Duterte has wrought in the last four years "is already a daunting task".

"It's scary what another two years will do," Africa told Al Jazeera, as he warned that the Philippines "is in the worst crisis of joblessness and collapsing household incomes in its history".

Africa, a London School of Economics-trained development expert, said that instead of addressing basic fiscal and economic reforms - such as social protection, free land distribution and the reversal of a "regressive" tax system - Duterte's economic managers are continuing with business as usual.

"The government's policies are not working because the self-serving political agenda and interests of economic elites are given priority over rational public health and socioeconomic relief," he said.

If anything, the president "is opportunistically exploiting the pandemic" in advancing a political and economic agenda that shows "undue bias" for big business, cronies and foreign investors, Africa added.

Duterte has defended his policies by saying that he is "looking after the welfare" of the Filipinos, and telling them to "stop blaming the government, because the coronavirus is already here."

He also said that he will "bet his reputation" that there are no anomalies in the government's handling of the health crisis.

Richard Heydarian, a Manila-based political science professor and analyst, noted that the pandemic "has exposed the hollowness of right-wing populism", citing Duterte as an example, while comparing him to US President Donald Trump and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro.

The US and Brazil lead the world in both confirmed cases and fatalities.

"If you look at the worst cases around the world ... all of these countries have been under the spell of one form of populism or another," he told Al Jazeera.

In the case of the Philippines, the spread of the disease, also known as COVID-19, had been a "double-edged sword" for Duterte, said Heydarian, who is author of the book, The Rise of Duterte - A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy.

In late January, some health experts and the opposition, including Vice President Leni Robredo, were urging Duterte to immediately impose a travel ban of visitors from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the infection was first reported.

Even after the first coronavirus death outside China was reported in the Philippines on February 2, Duterte resisted ordering flight restrictions, saying it could damage Manila's diplomatic ties with Beijing. He also joked that he would "slap the coronavirus" in the face.

A travel ban was only imposed in mid-March, alongside a virtual nationwide lockdown that affected the livelihood of millions of Filipinos. A national health emergency was also declared.

'Authoritarian blitzkrieg'

While those delays undermined Duterte's portrayal of himself "as a decisive and effective leader", the pandemic has provided the president with "the leeway and legal emergency powers" to launch an "authoritarian blitzkrieg", according to Heydarian.


He noted that the closure of ABS-CBN, the country's largest media network, as well as the cyber-libel conviction of Rappler journalist and executive editor, Maria Ressa, happened just months after Duterte secured emergency powers to deal with the spread of the coronavirus.

"Clearly, we see the populists, particularly in fledgeling democracies like the Philippines, exploiting and leveraging the ongoing emergency situation to muzzle and intimidate the opposition and voices in independent media," Heydarian said.

Before the coronavirus lockdown, however, at least 81 percent of survey respondents said that they were satisfied with the administration of President Duterte, according to the polling firm, Social Weather Station.

But Heydarian warned an impending dip in the economy due to the pandemic could "seriously hurt" Duterte's standing among the public.

Africa of IBON Foundation, one of the oldest non-profit research organisations in the Philippines, said "the militarist response" of the Duterte administration "bolsters its authoritarianism".

It was also during the lockdown that the allies of the president in Congress managed to push through the anti-terror bill, which allows warrantless arrests and longer detentions without charge. Critics have warned that it could be exploited by the government to go after its critics.

"The Duterte watch has seriously damaged accustomed institutions of liberal democracy," Africa said, adding that "checks and balances are almost gone".

'A big fail'
Nowhere is the unravelling of Duterte's policy more apparent than in the southern city of Marawi, which came under siege by armed fighters that pledged allegiance to the ISIL (ISIS) group in 2017, said Drieza Abato Lininding, a Marawi community leader.

He said more than three years after the attack, tens of thousands of people remain displaced and are unable to return to their homes despite the president's repeated promises. Marawi is also now struggling to contain the spread of coronavirus in evacuation camps.

Lininding pronounced Duterte's policies as a "big fail", despite the passage of the Bangsamoro autonomous government, saying that "the poor are getting poorer, and some of those well-to-do families are suffering as well."

"Corruption is rampant, and worst not only in Moro areas, but in the whole island of Mindanao," he told Al Jazeera.

He said among the "bad legacies" left by Duterte is his "too much pampering and relying on the military and police that lead to abuses".

In a statement to Al Jazeera, Cristina Palabay, secretary general of the activist group Karapatan (Right), said that Duterte's four years in power has ben "an epidemic of State terrorism, blatant injustice and gross rights violations."

On Monday, Harry Roque, the palace spokesman, defended Duterte saying that in the moment of a health emergency, the president has one one message - "Stop politics", adding that the government is "doing its best" to handle to situation.

'Hard to repair'
Even after Duterte has completed with his term as president - in the Philippines, the president is allowed to serve only a single term - Africa of IBON Foundation, is concerned about the problems that may be left behind, including a record amount of debt.

"The government was set to borrow a record 1.4 trillion pesos ($26.1bn) in 2020 even before the pandemic. If anything, COVID-19 even gives it a convenient cover for this," he said.

Africa noted that majority of the borrowing is for infrastructure projects that are "unlikely to be financially and economically viable, amid the changed conditions of pandemic-driven recessions".

"Its so-called 'recovery programme' is a mere recycling of the same economic policies before the pandemic and are more inappropriate than ever."

"The dependence on debt to drive the economy was questionable before and is only more so now."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...irus-ravages-philippines-200629054402601.html

 

[shaykh]

An example of something good (to some) is his attitudes towards the beaches ...

Check out the ‘new’ Boracay ...due to previously being a party island...hotels, restaurants were dumping sewage straight into the sea, the beach itself was full of deckchairs, full of touts, litter was everywhere with cigarette butts and beer cans everywhere...Duterte called it a cesspool and then closed the island for 6 months ...companies that engaged in throwing sewage into the sea were shut down or fined...parties are no longer allowed on the island...beer and alcohol are not permissible on the beach...touts are not permitted on the beach and these rules are being enforced...

Party lovers are disappointed but tbh the beach looks lovely now ...it actually looks like somewhere to relax...there was also significant overcrowding before but by reforming the beach there are less ppl and even then there is a limit to the number of people who are allowed to visit on a given day...

He’s looking to do this to other island swamped by tourists ...I find that quite impressive ...sacrificing tourist money for the betterment of their islands...or maybe he just hates foreign tourists who just get ******...either way the result is good...

Duterte has also introduced a universal healthcare act...

There do appear to be some benefits to his rule ...and the disasters are what are generally disasters for most ...

They have a terrorist insurgence in the South which he said he would end in 6 months...obviously this hasn’t happened..l

He said he would get drugs off the street in 6 months ...he hasn’t and something like 27,000 have died...many of whom are apparently innocent or simply users...has been argued that is safer in parts of Manila but that’s quite a large price to pay ...and failing to win a drug war isn’t exactly a failure ...no country has ever won that battle...

His Build Build Build project seems to have been well received ...

An authoritarian with very questionable methods but Filipinos at least on average seem to think his intentions are good if not his results...

 

[Firebat]

Opponents dismayed as Philippines' Duterte approves 'monstrous' anti-terror bill

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved tough anti-terrorism legislation on Friday that rights groups condemned as a weapon to target opponents and stifle free speech.

The law grants security forces sweeping powers to act to fight militants, while legal experts say broad articles could allow discriminatory enforcement, privacy infringements and suppression of peaceful dissent, including on social media.

Duterte’s approval comes after a United Nations report on the Philippines that singled him out for publicly inciting violence and encouraging rights abuses, mostly during a war on drugs in which he promised to kill 100,000 people and pardon police who shoot suspects dead.

His opponents fear a crackdown on challengers to his popular autocracy before he leaves office in 2022, among them journalists, lawmakers, priests and activists seeking his international indictment over thousands of drug war killings.

The law creates an anti-terrorism council appointed by the president, which can designate individuals and groups as terrorists and detain them without charge for up to 24 days. It allows for 90 days of surveillance and wiretaps, and punishments that include life imprisonment without parole.

U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet had urged Duterte not to sign it. Human Rights Watch called the law a “green light to the systematic targeting of political critics and opponents” and said Duterte had “pushed Philippine democracy into an abyss”.

Amnesty International called it “a new weapon to brand and hound any perceived enemies of the state”, which would “worsen attacks against human rights defenders.”

Philippine rights group Karapatan said Duterte was seeking to emulate the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos: “This monstrous piece of legislation is, without any doubt, the final puzzle piece in Duterte’s Marcosian delusions,” it said.

Spoiler

ELEVATED THREAT
Duterte, 75, had fast-tracked the anti-terrorism act through both houses of Congress during the coronavirus outbreak. His spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte had taken time to study it, “weighing the concerns of different stakeholders”.

The president made no mention of the law in a speech to soldiers on Friday.

The government says the law is based on legislation in countries that have successfully dealt with extremism.

Defence chiefs say it will enable a better response to domestic threats, such as piracy, kidnappings and extremism by groups influenced by Islamic State, who occupied a southern city in 2017 and are now increasingly carrying out suicide bombings.

The law’s approval comes as series of legal and regulatory cases move forward against journalists and media organisations.

Those include top media group ABS-CBN, ordered to cease broadcasts on free-to-air and cable channels, and news website Rappler, embroiled in tax evasion and illegal ownership cases. Rappler’s award winning chief Maria Ressa was convicted of libel last month in a ruling that prompted international dismay.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...oves-monstrous-anti-terror-bill-idUSKBN24419T

 

[MenInG]

Allies of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the House of Representatives voted on Friday to deny the renewal of ABS-CBN's broadcast franchise, affirming a government order to shut down the country's largest television network in a move critics say is a major blow to press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.

Congress members voted against giving the company another 25-year licence to operate after a total of 12 public hearings and testimony establishing the channel had violated no legal provisions.

Of the 85 committee members in charge of the renewal, 70 voted to deny, 11 voted for the renewal, two voted to inhibit and one abstained from voting.

In a last-minute move, at least two sponsors of the legislation pushing for the renewal withdrew their support.

Ahead of the vote, Carlos Zarate, a minority House member, made a last-minute plea for approval saying, "Why would we punish a company that did not breach our laws?"

But Rodante Marcoleta, a majority member of the House and one of the channel's fiercest critics, said regardless of the legal argument in favour of ABS-CBN, "it is the will of Congress that should be accorded due respect", whether they vote for or against.

In the same session, Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte's handpicked House Speaker, hinted about the outcome of the vote, arguing that it was "not press freedom" that was at stake. He said it was a question of the media protecting its own business interests.

Cayetano, who was Duterte's vice presidential running mate in 2016, had also accused ABS-CBN of "biased" reporting. The president and vice president are elected separately in the Philippines. Cayetano lost in that race.

At the final hearing on Monday, ABS-CBN News and current affairs chief Ging Reyes defended the channel's news reporting standards, which have been attacked by the president's allies.

Reyes also spoke about how the closure had denied millions of Filipinos access to information.

"The shutdown has deprived more than 69 million Filipinos of the kind of information, analysis and commentary, and public service provided by ABS-CBN News. It has cut off our reach such that two out of three viewers are unable to watch our news programmes," Reyes said.

ABS-CBN was ordered to shut on May 5 by the country's regulator, the National Telecommunication Commission, which is part of President Duterte's office, a day after the channel's 25-year franchise expired. The franchise does not cover its digital presence, its cable channel, ANC, and its global affiliate, The Filipino Channel.

But with the closure order, thousands of ABS-CBN employees could lose their jobs. According to ABS-CBN, it has a total of 11,000 permanent and freelance contract workers.

In a statement to Al Jazeera on Friday, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) denounced the House of Representatives saying "it has declared itself enemy of democracy".

"Today, this chamber has lost all claim to represent the people and our interests," NUJP said.

David Dizon, senior editor of ABS-CBN news website, told Al Jazeera that he was "gutted" by the decision of Congress, adding that in all his 20 years of working for the company, he knows that it "has always strive to pursue excellence in reporting - accurate, fair, and balanced."

"It has been a long and hard journey for ABS-CBN and to see the committee vote go that way is disheartening."

Duterte has long harboured enmity towards the station, accusing it of playing favourites after refusing to run some of his political advertisements during the 2016 presidential campaign. ABS-CBN has denied the allegations, saying that only a few advertisements did not air, because the slots were already taken by other commercials.

After his election, Duterte repeatedly threatened the company with closure, declaring in 2019, "I will see to it that you are out."

Altermidya, an alternative news organisation, also said that "it is clear" that the channel "is being punished for reporting and commenting on issues in a manner unacceptable to the Duterte administration."

"It is also a warning to other media outfits that if the Duterte regime can shut down the largest broadcasting network in the country with impunity, every journalist should think twice before it reports truthfully, or criticises and dares hold government to account," it said.

ABS-CBN's coverage of the war on drugs, which has killed thousands of people, also riled the Philippine president. The network is not the first media company to have earned Duterte's ire.

His administration continues to pursue cases against the news website, Rappler, and its editor, Maria Ressa, after its extensive reporting on his war on drugs and his administration's role in spreading fake news.

The country's largest newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, was also forced to sell to an ally of the president, billionaire Ramon Ang, after Duterte threatened its owners with legal consequences. The newspaper was also critical of the drug war. In the run-up to the 2016 elections, it also reported about Duterte's alleged hidden wealth.

It is not the first time that ABS-CBN has been forced to shut by the government. In 1972, then-President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the shutdown of the network after he declared martial law.

ABS-CBN was only returned to its owner in 1986, after Marcos was overthrown in a popular revolt.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...shut-philippines-abs-cbn-200710043240204.html

 

[MenInG]

The Philippines' health agency on Monday confirmed 162 coronavirus deaths, the country's biggest single-day increase in casualties, as a health ministry official said authorities validated some earlier cases included in the tally.

The Department of Health said total deaths had reached 1,534, while confirmed infections rose 2,124 to 56,259, according to Reuters.

 

[MenInG]

The president of the Philippines is to chair a meeting with his cabinet ministers to discuss the worsening situation caused by the Covid-19 crisis in the country.

Sunday’s meeting comes as the country registered 5,032 additional coronavirus infections, its largest single-day increase on record, taking the country's confirmed cases to 103,185.

The cabinet is expected to discuss a demand from health professionals in the Philippines to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases.

Organisations representing nearly two million health workers in the country have appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to reimpose a strict lockdown in and around the capital Manila.

In a letter to the president, 80 organisations, led by the College of Physicians, wrote they were "losing the battle" against coronavirus.

The country has the second-highest number of infections in south-east Asia, after Indonesia.

The three-month lockdown in Manila - one of the longest and strictest in the world - was lifted in June.

 

[Firebat]

U.N. to step up rights work in Philippines after drug war killings

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Philippines pledged on Wednesday to cooperate with the United Nations on human rights issues after U.N. investigators documented tens of thousands of killings in the so-called war on drugs whose perpetrators were treated with “near impunity”.

Under a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on Wednesday the U.N. will provide technical assistance to help the government of President Rodrigo Duterte ensure unlawful killings and other violations are properly investigated and prosecuted.

Philippines ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Evan Garcia said the government had “identified projects for the joint programme in the areas of strengthening investigative and accountability mechanisms, the establishment of compliance monitoring systems for the national police and engagement with civil society”.

The resolution cited similar areas in which the United Nations could provide technical assistance.

But activists said it fell short of their appeals to establish an international investigative mechanism.

“The human rights situation in the Philippines warrants more than just ‘technical assistance’ from the U.N.. A full international investigation to effectively address the pervasive impunity in the country is urgently needed,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Philippines researcher at Amnesty International.

A landmark United Nations report in June said tens of thousands of people in the Philippines may have been killed in the war on drugs since mid-2016 amid “near impunity” for police and incitement to violence by top officials.

Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque has said what he called “rehashed claims” of impunity in the report were unfounded.

The text of the resolution presented on Wednesday by Iceland on behalf of countries including the Philippines keeps the issue on the agenda for two years.

“We are hopeful that this first step will lead to concrete results on the ground,” Harald Aspelund, Iceland’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told the Council.

Laila Matar of Human Rights Watch denounced the “collective failure” of states to launch an international investigation.

“At the same time, it is quite clear that Duterte and the state forces behind the brutal campaign are not off the hook and will face continued examination,” she said in a statement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ippines-after-drug-war-killings-idUSKBN26S24K