By Jon Hiltz

 

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines continues to pull away from the rest of the world as he is criticized for his human rights atrocities since being sworn in just eight weeks ago.

 

In that short time, his delusional and over-the-top “war on drugs” has left 1,800 people dead, Citizens turned vigilantes have executed many of the victims after getting the go ahead from the President to murder suspected drug dealers and users.  Duterte has also publicly named judges, mayors, lawmakers, and other officials as drugs suspects.

In his latest show of complete apathy for the health and safety of his people, Duterte has threatened to withdraw from the UN entirely if the rest of the world doesn’t stop criticizing his actions.

The President-elect used the “people who live in glasshouses” defense, by citing examples of the children involved in the current Syrian conflict, and the lack of assistance from the UN to help them.  He was also quick to point a finger at the U.S., and the ongoing epidemic of police shooting unarmed black men.

He spouted off this maniacal rhetoric during a two-hour press conference on Saturday night that closely resembled infamous dictators of decades past. Duterte was quoted as saying to a reporter who questioned him, that “maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you’re that rude, son of a bitch, we’ll just leave you.”

He went on to add, “Why are you Americans killing the black people, shooting them down when they are already on the ground?”.  He then took the time to refuse to apologize for calling the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines “gay” and “the son of a whore” after quarreling with him over the list of human rights violations that now exist because of Duterte.

For all his atrocities, oddly enough the President’s approval rating in the Philippines has been reported at 91%.  This number could be high due to fear of speaking out against him, poll tampering, or perhaps the people of the Philippines are simply fed up with their drug problem and don’t care if it’s “cured” by any means necessary.

Duterte’s distaste for the media that disagrees with his actions, brash speeches, and complete ignorance of human rights has earned him the name “Filipino Donald Trump.”

If Duterte does pull away from the UN, they will be giving up more than they bargained for.  This was reiterated by Lauro Baja who served as the Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in an interview with GMA News Online.  “We stand to lose many benefits aside from being isolated in the community of nations. The implications of a UN withdrawal are too serious to even consider.”

As Duterte’s presidency marches on with the momentum of a large angry mob on a witch hunt, more bodies will fall on the streets of Manila and elsewhere throughout this plagued paradise.

This horrifying situation is an extreme and accurate representation of how the war on drugs has failed us all.  Most importantly, it has failed the people who have been caught in the crossfire. These include the innocent victims that have been murdered in the Philippines by vigilantes using the excuse that they are cleansing their country of illicit drugs.