Abstract
In this chapter it is argued that, while sharing a number of the attributes of many contemporary populists, President Rodrigo Duterte, elected in 2016, is a product of the Philippines’ political system and its political culture. A brief historical overview is provided to situate the central place of strongmen in Filipino political life. An examination of Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” which has cost some 27,000 lives, shows how it is both a source of his enduring popularity, and the central element in his unique place as a punitive populist. The chapter then goes on to analyse four different ways he has been able to govern in an increasingly authoritarian way. These include judicial harassment of his opponents; draconian application of anti-terrorism laws to repress and kill dissenters; manipulation of both the mainstream and social media; and, finally, drawing on the legitimacy he has gained both internationally and regionally. Nevertheless, it is suggested that his popularity is also linked to the provision of social goods. The final section of the chapter looks at the sustainability of his punitive populist model—and the slide into authoritarianism—in the covid 19 and in a post-covid 19 pandemic environment.
Tatay (Daddy) Digong: Like many Filipinos, Duterte is referred to by a pet name, in his case “Digong,” derived from Rodrigo; The Punisher: Sykes (2018).
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Notes
- 1.
President Duterte is also often referred to by his abbreviated name “Rody” (Curato 2017).
- 2.
Whether this is the result of imposing a “Western” institutional framework in a non-Western political culture is a vast subject of debate.
- 3.
Indeed, the one People Power (n° 3) demonstration that saw the poorest of the poor of the slums of Manila demonstrating in support of the ousted populist president Josef “Erap” Estrada was violently repressed. This was in stark contrast to the essentially middle-class People Power 2 demonstrations that had led to Estrada’s threatened impeachment and his then resignation.
- 4.
A caveat is required here: Duterte’s profane declarations are often made not in English but in Tagalog or one of the other languages of the Philippines. When translated they seem quite shocking, but in everyday conversations in the languages of these groups they may be quite normal. I owe this point to Jayeel Cornelio.
- 5.
According to the Nikkei Asian Review, 22 May 2018.
- 6.
Emulated in the neighboring city of Tagum.
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Camroux, D. (2022). Tatay (Daddy) Digong, The Punisher: President Rodrigo Duterte’s Punitive Populism in the Philippines. In: Dieckhoff, A., Jaffrelot, C., Massicard, E. (eds) Contemporary Populists in Power. The Sciences Po Series in International Relations and Political Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84079-2_10
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