abandonconflict
Well-Known Member
I don't like him either but I will say that I prefer his regime to the Maoist rebels waging "protracted people's war". The NPA is somewhere between mafia protection racket and red washed nationalist populism. As bad as Duterte is (comparable to Trump in many ways) I really think the NPA resembles the Khmer Rouge.As long as Duterte is in power the Philippines have nothing to say.
Taken in that context, a gangster waging drug war is bad, but still not nearly as bad as the alternative. Not much has changed on the streets. He's the most popular leader in the world measured by his approval rating in the country he leads, almost 90%. Government forces recently defeated the Maute group in Marawi. The NPA is desperate. Teenagers are not afraid to wear clothes with pot leaf designs in public, as ever. I will let you know how things seem in Sagada.