Buscador avanzado

The body of an alleged drug dealer killed during a police operation in Manila, in August. Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MundoAsia

Rodrigo Duterte is not to blame for the thousands of Filipinos killed during the 15 months of his presidency. That’s what his supporters claim. His popularity is pitched as proof of his mandate, and his iconoclasm is cast as an effective antidote to a dilapidated democracy that has always thrived on inequality.

Many of the president’s actions, however, remain indefensible. But he is not the only one to blame.

Mr. Duterte’s allies in the government, his die-hard supporters and well-rewarded propagandists — the cogs in his political machinery — have been revved up to great momentum. Their drive to quash opposition has been taken up with a righteous zeal that may outpace even the president.…  Seguir leyendo »

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines delivering the State of the Nation address at the House of the Representatives in Manila last month. Credit Romeo Ranoco/Reuters

MundoAsia,

Native to the Philippines is a tart fruit called the balimbing. Ridges down the length of its oblong sides give it multiple faces, which is why many of our politicians are colloquially compared to it. Such criticism of our rulers’ kaleidoscopic loyalties is usually apt, and it’s always uttered with contempt.

Last year, Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency under the slogan “Change is coming.” But the corruption and deception of those under him belie that promise. Mr. Duterte’s policies and methods have caused controversy worldwide, yet it is the chronic dysfunction and selfish ambition across the political spectrum that most prevent the changes we Filipinos deserve.…  Seguir leyendo »

Relatives of the victims of drug related killings gather inside a church in Manila, Philippines last March. Jes Aznar/Getty Images

MundoAsiaInternacionalIglesia Católica,

Flaviano Villanueva, 47, entered the priesthood in his 30s after leading a fast life fueled by drugs and alcohol. So late last year, when a small-time drug dealer approached him in his rectory in one of Manila’s oldest districts, the Roman Catholic priest, recalling his own checkered past, could not turn her away.

“She was a member of a notorious gang that sells shabu in this area,” the priest told me recently, using the local term for crystal meth. “They were a gang of six. Four had already been killed. She came to me crying, ‘Father, can you hide me?’ ” She feared she might soon join the thousands of Filipinos who have been gunned down since President Rodrigo Duterte sanctioned the wanton killing of drug suspects.…  Seguir leyendo »

El día de la amistad

MundoAsiaEspañaPolítica Exterior

Filipinas y España han celebrado, como cada 30 de junio desde hace quince años, el Día de la Amistad. Se celebra junto a la iglesia del pequeño pueblo de Baler, capital de la provincia de Aurora, allí donde en 1898 un reducido destacamento de medio centenar de soldados españoles fue sitiado por los revolucionarios filipinos y donde sostuvieron un asedio de casi un año, haciendo gala de una capacidad de sacrificio extrema.

El hecho de que una celebración así apenas tenga equivalente para con una antigua metrópoli, invita a la reflexión. Fue iniciativa de un senador filipino, Edgardo Angara, natural de Baler, y se celebra en la fecha en que el que fuera presidente de la malograda primera república de Filipinas, Emilio Aguinaldo, firmara un decreto reconociendo a los supervivientes del sitio de Baler como amigos, no como prisioneros de guerra.…  Seguir leyendo »

Rodrigo Duterte, then the front-runner in the Philippine presidential election, last year. Credit Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

MundoAsia

On Saturday morning, in a sunny conference hall to the side of Baclaran Church, among the slums of southern Metro Manila, several dozens of Filipino teenagers and adults held up sheets of paper on which they’d written their dreams. “To study.” “To be a chef.” “To find permanent work.”

They sat cross-legged and barefoot in groups of three or four, their flip-flops and sneakers, soles thinned from wear, waiting beside them. They smiled as they read out their answers. At the back of the room, a group of about 20 toddlers and children ran around and skidded, and sent fidget spinners whirring across the floor.…  Seguir leyendo »

Activists protesting martial law in front of the Philippine military’s headquarters in Manila in May. Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

MundoAsia

Shortly after Muslim extremists affiliated with the Islamic State laid siege to Marawi, a city in the southern Philippines, on May 23, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for 60 days across the island of Mindanao. Citing the presence of foreigners among the fighters and the risk of an “invasion", he said he might extend martial law to the entire country if that was necessary “to protect the people.”

And just like that, it seems, tens of millions of Filipinos woke up to the twin threat of the Islamic State and of a potential return to unfettered authoritarianism. Democracy in the Philippines seems to be at its most fragile point in years.…  Seguir leyendo »

Filipino residents walk past an armored personnel carrier after President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Davao City, Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, on May 24. (Cerilo Ebrano/EPA)

MundoAsia

On the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, 21 million people are living under martial law. President Rodrigo Duterte declared 60 days of martial law on May 23 after troops and police failed to apprehend Isnilon Hapilon, a terrorist leader who has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. The military is bombing Marawi City and sending soldiers street by street to ferret out those suspected of being part of Hapilon’s militant network. As of June 5, more than 180 people had been killed in clashes between security forces and terrorists, with more at risk every day.

A declaration of martial law under these conditions seems reasonable.…  Seguir leyendo »

A Filipino soldier in Marawi City on Mindanao Island in the Philippines last month. Credit Francis R. Malasig/European Pressphoto Agency

MundoAsiaInternacionalTerrorismo Internacional,

For about two weeks now, dozens of Islamist militants have faced off against the Philippine armed forces in the city of Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao, where most of the Philippines’ Muslim minority lives. The pitched battle, which is unusually fierce even by the standards of this conflict-prone part of the country, indicates that the Islamic State is now also a Southeast Asian problem and that the Philippine government may be the region’s weak link in addressing it.

While President Rodrigo Duterte focused his energies during his first year in office on waging a brutal campaign against suspected drug dealers and users, a motley coalition supporting the Islamic State — former guerrillas, university students, scions of political families, Christian converts to Islam — grew into a fighting force with surprising staying power.…  Seguir leyendo »

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, who has been invited to the White House by President Trump. Credit Erik De Castro/Reuters

MundoAméricaMundoAsia, ,

Over the weekend, President Trump provoked an avalanche of criticism at home and abroad by extending a formal invitation to his Filipino counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, to visit the White House. The two leaders are reported to have had a “very friendly conversation” by phone, prompting denunciations by human rights groups and the liberal establishment in both America and the Philippines.

To the chagrin even of administration officials, the White House, in a statement announcing the invitation, appeared not only to play down Mr. Duterte’s brutal crackdown on illegal drugs — which rights groups say has claimed 1,000 lives a month since it started last July — but also went so far as to praise his efforts to rid his country of drugs.…  Seguir leyendo »

Inmates on a basketball court in a prison in Quezon City, Philippines. Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times

MundoAsia,

In one jail here, 91 men share a cell so small they take turns sitting down. It’s dizzyingly hot, and there are only two buckets for personal hygiene. And not one of the detainees has been convicted of a crime.

The 93 men packed into the cell next door are also not guilty — at least not yet. Nobody in this city jail has been tried. Each awaits his time in court. One inmate tells me his case has already stretched nearly five years. Many others have been here several months, since President Rodrigo Duterte began his war on drugs a little less than a year ago.…  Seguir leyendo »

Residents look on as a police investigator inspects the body of a suspected drug pusher, along an alley in Quezon city. Romeo Ranoco/Reuters

MundoAsia,

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to continue his “war on drugs” in spite of growing calls for an investigation into his role in it.

On March 6, the Philippine government lifted its suspension on police anti-drug operations. The suspension had been imposed in January following revelations that anti-drug police had kidnapped and killed a South Korean businessman.

Philippine National Police Director-General Ronald dela Rosa has christened this new phase of the drug war Project Double Barrel Alpha, Reloaded, and has said it will be “less bloody, if not bloodless” than that of the previous eight months.

That bloodshed is unquestionable: police and “unidentified gunmen” have killed more than 7,000 suspected drug users and drug dealers since July 2016.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAsia,  

Solo hubo cinco muertos. Fue una noche tranquila.

Los reporteros del turno nocturno cuentan que así son los viernes. Los asesinatos han tomado un ritmo predecible en esta densa metrópolis de casi 13 millones de personas. Entre semana hay más ajetreo, generalmente hay una docena de cadáveres antes del amanecer. Un reportero me comentó que el récord era de 27 en una noche. Los fines de semana hay más calma, ya que los que cubren estos reportajes van a los velorios y funerales de las víctimas o dan seguimiento a testigos y otras fuentes.

Durante los ocho meses que lleva Rodrigo Duterte en la presidencia, los reportajes sobre la guerra contra las drogas han consternado al mundo y a Filipinas, aunque los partidarios del presidente dicen que las noticias son tendenciosas y que los asesinatos son necesarios.…  Seguir leyendo »

Un sospechoso de narcotráfico asesinado en octubre en el barrio de San Francisco del Monte en Ciudad Quezón, Filipinas Credit Daniel Berehulak para The New York Times

MundoAsia,  

Only five people had turned up dead. It was a slow evening.

The journalists on the night shift say Fridays are like that. A predictable rhythm has developed to the killings in this dense metropolis of nearly 13 million. Weekdays are busier, often producing a dozen bodies before morning. One reporter told me the record was 27 one night. Weekends are more tranquil, which is when those who cover this beat attend wakes and funerals of victims, or follow up with witnesses and other sources.

In the eight months of Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, reports on the drug war have caused concern around the world and in the Philippines, though the president’s supporters cast the news as biased and the killings as necessary.…  Seguir leyendo »

El presidente Rodrigo Duterte, a la izquierda, con el director de la Policía Nacional, Ronald Dela Rosa, en Manila durante una rueda de prensa, el 30 de enero. Credit Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images

MundoAsia, ,  

Las drogas ilegales son un asunto de seguridad nacional, pero la guerra en su contra no se puede ganar nada más con las fuerzas armadas ni los organismos de justicia. Enviar más soldados y policías contra los consumidores de drogas no solo es una pérdida de dinero, sino que además puede empeorar el problema. Encerrar a los delincuentes no violentos y a los adictos casi siempre resulta contraproducente, ya que se acaba por fortalecer a la delincuencia organizada.

Tal es el mensaje que me gustaría enviar al mundo y, en especial, al presidente Rodrigo Duterte de Filipinas. Créame, aprendí a la mala.…  Seguir leyendo »

In Quezon City, Philippines, inmates sleep on a basketball court at Quezon City Jail, one of the country’s most congested jails on Oct. 19, 2016. Credit Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times.

MundoAsia, ,  

Illegal drugs are a matter of national security, but the war against them cannot be won by armed forces and law enforcement agencies alone. Throwing more soldiers and police at the drug users is not just a waste of money but also can actually make the problem worse. Locking up nonviolent offenders and drug users almost always backfires, instead strengthening organized crime.

That is the message I would like to send to the world and, especially, to President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

We Colombians know a thing or two about fighting drugs. Our country has long been one of the world’s primary suppliers of cocaine.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Duterte has been accused of rabble-rousing populism, having inflated drug use statistics in his speeches.’ Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte holds a compilation of pictures of people involved in drugs. Photograph: Lean Daval Jr/Reuters

MundoAsia, , ,

“You are corrupt to the core,” the Philippines’ president, Rodrigo Duterte, said to his own police force after announcing he would be indefinitely halting his controversial war on drugs to tackle endemic corruption within the Philippine national police.

This is following the death of South-Korean businessman, Jee Ick-joo, who was left strangled in the grounds of Camp Crame, the police force’s headquarters, after a bungled kidnap and interrogation attempt by anti-drugs officers.

The breather this reprieve is offering is a choice time to look at just how bad the Philippines’ drug problem is, especially after Duterte has been accused of rabble-rousing populism, having inflated drug use statistics in his speeches, almost doubling the number of Filipino users from 1.8 to 3 million.…  Seguir leyendo »

Duterte Wants the Death Penalty Back

MundoAsia,

President Rodrigo Duterte is taking his brutal campaign against drugs from the streets to the halls of Congress.

He had said he would be “happy to slaughter” drug addicts, and since he took office in June, some 7,000 people have been killed in drug-related operations, according to the Philippine National Police. Now he proposes to reinstate the death penalty, which was abolished here in 2006.

A new bill, up for discussion in the House of Representatives this week, proposes to restore capital punishment for 21 so-called heinous crimes. Those include treason, some forms of murder and rape, and violent car thefts — as well as nine drug offenses.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also known as “Bongbong,”campaigning in Muntinlupa, Philippines, in February. Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

MundoAsia

The chairman of the election commission is being threatened with impeachment: The commission’s database, which contains the personal data of more than 55 million registered voters, was hacked before the general election last May. Andres Bautista, the chairman, told me recently that he finds this situation “ridiculous.” Maybe it is — then again maybe not, since the point seems to be to bolster the standing of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as President Rodrigo Duterte’s rightful political heir.

The president is a professed idolater of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and his election campaign was partly bankrolled by the late dictator’s heirs. Mr. Duterte has suggested publicly that the younger Mr.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAsiaMundoOceanía, ,

It's so typical of the West to sneer at the actions of what they see as "small brown folk on the other side of the world."

The latest example of this racist and colonial mentality is the outrage and virtue-signaling criticism of the Philippines' hardline approach to drug crime under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Yet the Philippines has a problem. The scourge of drugs -- particularly crystal methamphetamine, known in the country as shabu -- has taken its toll on families and relationships and on communities and barangays (small neighborhood-based local governments) right around the nation.

It's a problem that has led to theft, violence and death over many years.…  Seguir leyendo »

A rally in suburban Quezon near Manila, on Nov. 30, to protest the re-burial of the late Ferdinand Marcos at the Heroes’ Cemetery. Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

MundoAsia

Dusk set silver-gray over the crowd gathered in a park here on Nov. 25, but the banners and placards could still be clearly seen. Homemade, cardboard, some laminated with packing tape to protect them from the rain, the signs expressed the rage of thousands of young Filipinos rallying against the recent, clandestine burial of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Cemetery of Heroes.

This protest was one of many that have taken place recently across the Philippines and by Filipinos around the world. A week earlier, thousands spontaneously flooded the streets as news of the burial emerged. Further protests have swollen into the tens of thousands.…  Seguir leyendo »