The late former president’s reformist agenda was upended by his failure to address structural problems, which successor Rodrigo Duterte seized upon.
Officious justifications for why singling out foreign domestic helpers should not be considered discriminatory are far from convincing.
Despite his ‘war on drugs’, attacks on media and ‘red-tagging’ of political opponents, Rodrigo Duterte is more commonly linked to People Power than thought.
While he remains a popular leader, vows of upholding ‘discipline’ ring hollow when the poor go hungry, leaving Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at a turning point in his presidency.
Low-profile dealings with a Chinese company, selective prosecution of drug traffickers and targeting of political enemies suggest there may be less wholesome (and less populist) reasons for the Philippine president’s moves.
Its brief foray into openness over, Asean appears to have returned to being a bloc of ‘strong leaders’, with democracies breaking down or becoming highly illiberal. Cronyism and incompetence among its strongmen is the only hope