CCTV's correspondent gives us a glimpse into Rodrigo Duterte, the man who could become the next president of the Philippines. When Rodrigo Duterte – mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao – says he has eyes on you, that’s probably not an exaggeration.
In this building, men and women are monitoring the city’s streets 24/7. They take calls and have police and rescue workers on standby for emergency. It’s clear, Duterte takes peace and order seriously.
Back in the 1980’s, Davao City was a rebel stronghold. Criminality was rampant. This area here used to be a dumping ground of murder victims, at least that’s what locals say. Now as you can see it’s a thriving commercial district. Davao City – today – is regarded as one of the safest, if not the safest, cities in the Philippines. And the man who’s credited for it is the mayor, Rodrigo Duterte.
How he was able to do this is the stuff of legend. He is known to ride his bike or drive a taxi around town… and will not hesitate to personally stop a lawbreaker. And now he has his eyes on the presidency and says he’s going to replicate the feat nationwide.
"Really I mean well. But if you make it hard for me to operate government, to bring about peaceful changes, to get rid of drugs and criminals, and to stop corruption, I’ll be forced to just really proclaim a revolutionary government. And talking now about the police, they would be the backbone. The only thing that would make you succeed if there’s a revolution is that you’re being backed by the armed might," said Presidential Candidate Rodrigo Duterte.
His tendency to resort to extreme measures and produce desired results has earned him massive support among voters. A much-criticized remark about how he should’ve been first when he saw a beautiful Australian rape and murder victim and recent allegations of hidden wealth have not eroded his lead in pre-election surveys.
"Duterte simplifies the whole thing by providing very simple solutions. You have criminality, he says, “I will have public executions within six months when I become president.” All those who are crying for due process of course will say that is illegal. But to many Filipinos who are troubled by crime in their neighborhood. they’d like the problems solved now," said political analyst Popoy De Vera.
Many but not all, especially those who claim they’re victims of the vigilante Davao Death Squad, allegedly backed by Duterte. This man claims he has relatives who were killed. One was accused of being an assassin, the other gunned down by mistake he says because he looked like the alleged assassin.
"So you can be killed just because you look like a certain criminal? You can’t take the law into your hands. We have laws. What happened to our judicial system? There’s no due process. It’s like people are just living in fear."
Duterte denies involvement in any form of extrajudicial killing, but he admits he’s been forced to kill criminals – in shoot-outs for instance. There’s no reason to fear though, he says, unless you’re breaking the law.
"Just follow the law. What does the law say? Just follow it. What was mandated in the regulation? Do it. That’s it. I do not need more laws. I just need obedience from the people," said Rodrigo Duterte.
A prosperous, developed Philippines is the end goal, he says. But will the end justify the means? That is a question Filipino voters will have to answer on Monday.
