President Rodrigo Duterte’s reputation for controversy and his ‘War on Drugs’ that has seen thousands of deaths has drawn international media attention. Seen as an authoritarian strongman leader abroad, Duterte nevertheless maintains high approval ratings at home, and is seen by many Filipinos as a relatable leader.In this episode of The Brief, Edwina Landale talks to award-winning journalist Marites Vitug, author of a new book, Rock Solid: How the Philippines Won Its Maritime Case Against China. They discuss Filipino populism, the integrity of the justice system, and the potential fallout from the South China Sea dispute.Marites Vitug is the editor at large of the social news network Rappler. She is one of the Philippines’ most accomplished journalists, winning awards and public recognition for her reporting. A bestselling author, she has written several books on Philippine current affairs, including her recent book Rock Solid: How the Philippines Won Its Maritime Case Against China.Edwina Landale is the presenter of The Brief. She is a student of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the ANU.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:Rappler – a social news network based in the PhilippinesRock Solid: How the Philippines Won Its Maritime Case Against China By Marites VitugPolicy Forum Pod is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.