DDS: Devotion, Denial, and a Strongman’s Rise to Fame
Last February 27, the nation watched with bated breath as the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague concluded the confirmation of charges hearing of one of the most controversial leaders in Philippine history, former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte. With 60 days for the ICC to decide whether or not there is substantial evidence of his crimes, that breath has yet to be released—and only time will tell if the exhale will be one of collective relief or disappointment.
The hearings also happened close to a symbolic date. March 11 marked the first anniversary of Duterte’s arrest, an occasion that drew protests from his Filipino supporters, particularly those who kept vigil outside the ICC. To them, the former president is more than just a national leader—he holds a special place in their hearts, with many of his followers considering him as a “father figure.”
Whether people know him as Tatay Digong, PRRD, Du30, or even simply just Duterte, there are few in the Philippines who remain unfamiliar with his name. Known as the “Trump of the East” and “The Punisher,” he’s the 16th president of the Philippines, the strongman proponent of the drug war, and, at one point, the most popular president in the world. Throughout his presidency, Duterte managed to consistently maintain his high approval ratings—and last year, despite being detained all the way in The Hague by the ICC, Duterte was reelected as mayor of Davao City.
Duterte’s popularity didn’t happen overnight; it had been building for 22 years before he was elected as president, during his many terms as the mayor of Davao City. He built his career first on his family’s political influence, then on his strong stance on some of the Philippines’ most pressing problems: drugs, crime, and corruption.
This fame eventually led Duterte to the national stage, as he was elected representative of Davao’s first district in 1998. Nearly two decades later, he joined the 2016 presidential elections and became one of the most likely candidates to win the presidency. Despite securing the presidency with only 38.5% of the total votes, he soon gained nationwide support. As his popularity grew, the acronym DDS for Davao Death Squad, the team supposedly carrying out his famed drug war, eventually evolved to stand for something else—“Diehard Duterte Supporter.”
To the DDS, it didn’t matter that he used profanity frequently, spoke broken English, or made misogynistic comments; he was just being “authentic”—and of course, his remarks about women were “just jokes.” He was just reacting the way any “normal” person would. As for the drug war, he was simply protecting the innocent women and children who became victims of assault and drug violence; the people on the streets who, robbed blind, were left with nothing; and the law-abiding citizens who were murdered in cold blood. After all, he fired corrupt officials. He required full public disclosure of government transactions in the executive branch. He signed the law making state universities free. He established emergency hotlines. He spearheaded the building of much infrastructure.
However, the truth differs greatly from the facade that many see. While the drug war did probably eradicate a fair deal of drug users, its methods undermined the Constitution itself by disregarding due process. And even if officials claimed that the killings were justified, the fact is that no one truly knows if those targeted were drug users asanyone could be killed without evidence. As for those corrupt officials, it’s true that Duterte fired them—but he was also the one who hired them in the first place. While he required transparency, it was only for the executive branch, and it was during his time that the Ombudsman limited access to officials’ Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). In fact, Duterte was the first president who didn’t release his own SALN after it was mandated in 1989, a direct contradiction to his own edict. And how about his Build, Build, Build program? While it did improve infrastructure, only 12 out of 119 projects were completed—and that’s without mentioning the country’s skyrocketing national debt, similar to what happened during the not-so-golden regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Duterte’s presidency was also marked by a shift in the public psyche. Encouraged by his sexist remarks and demeaning comments towards women, his supporters began openly mirroring his behavior online. The red-tagging of journalists and presence of online trolls became increasingly prevalent as it grew evident that the government would not stop them, since the president himself engaged in the act. Violence became the norm as reporters were silenced and the Filipino public lost trust in the media.
It would be unfair to say that Duterte hadn’t done a single bit of good during his administration, because there were some policies that benefited the Philippines. But it would also be untrue to say that the good far outweighed the bad. Unfortunately, the whole truth, while slowly surfacing, is still far from public consciousness. Many Filipinos remain stuck in echo chambers formed through social media, where they solely see opinions similar to theirs. Oftentimes, it’s easier to stay trapped within our comfortable bubble of half-truths than face the complete one. However, this shouldn’t be the case; as responsible citizens, we must proactively seek what’s real and not just what is spoon-fed to us. And, once we find the truth, we must not stop at simply knowing but start telling.
