Sweeping Justice or Widespread Witch Hunt Rodrigo Duterte's Crusade Against Crime

Dubbed ''The Punisher'' by Time magazine, Rodrigo Duterte is the 16th president of the Philippines. Known for his bravado, tough stance on crime and seemingly uncensored manner of speaking, Duterte campaigned on a platform of broad promises and threats. Since his election, an average of 13 people a day have been gunned down by either police or vigilantes acting on Duterte's entreaty to kill whomever they believe to be a criminal. However, despite his repeated public petitions for violence, slurs directed at international officials, multiple bouts of philandering and televised showcasing of a "kill list," 9 out of 10 Filipinos have stated that they trust and approve of their new president.

The complex reasons behind Duterte's overwhelming popularity are rooted in matters relating to class. Though his predecessor, Benigno Aquino, transformed the Philippines from the "sick man of Asia" into one of Asia's economic "tigers," the nation still possesses a massive wealth disparity. Furthermore, the country has a history of politicians acting with impunity, empowering and absolving each other. Contrary to his peers, Duterte is viewed as incorruptible and has promised to break the cycle of legal subversion by punishing all lawbreakers, regardless of class or position. As of August 7, 2016, the president has allegedly linked 150 judges, politicians and police to the drug trade.

杜特蒂：正義化身？政治迫害者？

被《時代》雜誌稱為「制裁者」的羅德里戈．杜特蒂是菲律賓第十六任總統。以蠻幹逞能、對犯罪的嚴厲立場以及發言似乎毫無遮攔的風格聞名，杜特蒂競選的宣言是廣泛的承諾與威脅。自他當選以來，每天平均有十三人被槍殺，執行者不是警察，就是依照杜特蒂要求而去格殺任何他們相信是罪犯的維安者。然而，儘管他屢屢公開訴諸暴力、誹謗國際官員、一再的逢場作戲，以及在電視上放送「殺人名單」，十個菲律賓人裡有九個表示他們信任且贊同其新總統。
杜特蒂廣受歡迎的複雜原因來自根深蒂固的階級問題。雖然前任總統，貝尼格諾•艾奎諾三世讓菲律賓從「亞洲病夫」轉變為亞洲經濟的「老虎」之一 （編按：菲律賓和馬來西亞、泰國及印尼並稱「亞洲四小虎」），該國仍存在相當大的貧富差距。再者，菲國政客的赦免作為由來已久，彼此私相授受並免除罪責。與其同儕相反，杜特蒂被視為反貪腐者，且已承諾無論階級或地位，都會懲處所有違法者，藉此打破顛覆法律的循環。截至 2016 年 8 月 7 日，這位總統聲稱有一百五十名法官、政客和警察涉入毒品交易。