Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    Philippine President Duterte's First Year In Office Is Marked By Bloody War On Drugs

    Some 7,000 alleged drug suspects have been killed so far in Rodrigo Duterte's drug war. And he's more popular than ever — except among the poor, where the drug war's effects are most keenly felt.
    by Michael Sullivan Jun 30, 2017 6 minutes
    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives a speech during Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramadan at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on June 27. / NOEL CELIS / Getty Images

    The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, celebrates his first year in office Friday. Since becoming president, he has picked a fight with former President Obama, cursed out the Pope, joked about raping women and declared his "separation" from the United States to pursue a more independent foreign policy with new friends China and Russia.

    But none of that really matters at home.

    What does matter is that Duterte ran for president promising a brutal, bloody war on drugs. And he's delivered.

    More than 7,000 alleged drug suspects have died in extrajudicial killings, in encounters with police or gunned down in so-called vigilante killings. The killings have drawn widespread international condemnation, with Human Rights Watch describing Duterte's first year in power as a "human rights calamity."

    But here's the thing: Duterte is actually more popular now than when he was elected.

    A year ago, he won the presidency with

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR3 min readInternational Relations
    Newly Elected Prime Minister In Solomon Islands Is Likely To Keep Close China Ties
    Solomon Islands lawmakers elected former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister Thursday in a development that suggests the South Pacific island nation will maintain close ties with China.
    NPR8 min read
    How Some Faculty Members Are Defending Student Protesters, In Actions And In Words
    The protests sweeping college campuses don't just involve students. Professors are increasingly pushing back against university administrations they see as infringing on students' free speech rights.
    NPR3 min read
    New York Police Have Cleared Hamilton Hall And The Encampment At Columbia University
    New York police officers cleared pro-Palestinian student encampments late Tuesday night at two campuses as similar protests continued to simmer across the country's higher education institutions.

    Related Books & Audiobooks