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View all search resultsThe ‘Die-hard Duterte Supporters’ phenomenon abroad
Filipinos in Europe are enjoying the kind of governance that elevates human rights on a pedestal. But back home, why do they rabidly support the most fascist and the most murderous leader the Philippines has ever produced?
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A protester holds a life-size cardboard cutout of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte during a demonstration on Feb. 23 in support of him outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is on trial on charges of crimes against humanity. (AFP/Simon Wohlfahrt)
F
or the first five months of this year, I stayed in Europe for study and work. I saw, as well as heard confirmatory accounts, that a big majority of my countrymen who are living and working in the old continent are Die-hard Duterte Supporters (DDS). Those in the know affirm that the same holds true for Filipino communities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and most especially in many countries in the Middle East.
It’s no surprise then that before proceeding to The Hague, Netherlands, where she frequently visits her father, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte makes side trips to various foreign cities, where she speaks in meet-and-greet gatherings to rally her family’s loyal supporters. Just early this week, Sara attended such an event in London where she spoke before a relatively big DDS crowd.
At first, it was very perplexing to me. Filipinos in Europe are reaping immense dividends from the democratic societies that have given them shelter in a faraway continent. They’re enjoying the kind of governance that elevates human rights on a pedestal. But back home, why do they rabidly support the most fascist and the most murderous leader the Philippines has ever produced? What explains the extreme dissonance?
I have talked to quite a few DDS expatriates (including those based outside Europe), and what I’ve heard from them matches what other friends have gathered from DDS personalities in their circles. There are at least three oft-repeated reasons overseas Filipinos mention to explain their support for former president Rodrigo Duterte and members of his family.
First, our overseas kababayans (countrymen) cite the fact that they felt safe when they came home during the Duterte administration because drug addicts and other criminals were nowhere in sight. Second, Filipino expatriates credit Duterte with having extended the validity of our passports and driver’s licenses, from five and three years respectively, to a uniform 10 years. Third, Filipinos abroad fondly reminisce that they felt genuine care and concern during the times that Duterte communed with them in meet-and-greet gatherings abroad (outside Europe).
The common theme in this sampling of reasons is the element of personal experience. Our DDS kababayans personally felt the benefits of Duterte’s reign as president. They personally experienced improvements in concerns that directly affected them, and the “eradication” of problems that have long bedeviled them. Chances are, these are the same reasons that have made many of our fellow Filipinos living in our country become ardent DDS supporters.
In contrast, those who are fiercely anti-Duterte cite the massive human rights violations he committed against the poor, his support for China, which has invaded and occupied our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the pervasive corruption during his reign, including those involving VP Sara.
