Wazzup Pilipinas!?
History is often kind to those who wield power with wisdom and restraint. But for former President Rodrigo Duterte, the ledger of his rule is stained with choices that left an indelible mark on the Philippines—choices that could have been different, choices that didn’t have to be made.
The Path He Didn't Have to Take
Duterte didn’t have to turn the war on drugs into a bloodbath of extrajudicial killings, where the streets became morgues and justice was reduced to the barrel of a gun. He didn’t have to hoard billions in confidential funds, operating under a shroud of secrecy while the nation’s poor struggled for survival. He didn’t have to leave Marawi in ruins, a ghost city that still echoes with the cries of its displaced citizens. He didn’t have to gamble away Philippine sovereignty, allowing China’s shadow to stretch ominously over our seas and territories.
But he did. Again and again.
At every crossroads, he chose brutality over justice, power over principle, impunity over accountability. And those who stood by, those who clapped and cheered as he spat out profanities, mocked women, and called for the deaths of addicts and clergy alike—are they not complicit? Are they not stained by silence?
The Economy He Inherited—And Squandered
Duterte entered Malacañang with the strongest economy the country had seen in decades. He had what his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, lacked: a deep connection with the people. He had the charisma, the populist appeal, the trust of the masses. All he had to do was sustain the economic trajectory and ensure that prosperity trickled down to those who needed it most.
Instead, he let it wither.
The economy became an afterthought to his strongman posturing. The institutions meant to safeguard democracy crumbled under his watch. Checks and balances became casualties of his war on dissent. Media organizations were shut down. Critics were jailed. The Supreme Court, Congress, even the police and military—once independent bodies—became mere instruments of his will.
He was Trump 2.0 before Trump himself had fully unraveled. A populist whose greatest skill was manipulating emotions, turning fear into fuel for control.
The Making of a Dictator
A person isn’t born a tyrant; they become one through the choices they make. But perhaps, long before Duterte held the highest office in the land, his path had already been laid.
What shaped his callousness? Was it childhood trauma? Was it a life marked by abuse, neglect, or unchecked rage? Did his experiences mold a leader who saw strength only in dominance, who viewed compassion as weakness?
Understanding his past does not excuse his actions, but it may explain them. His presidency was a reflection of a man who saw the world in absolutes—loyalty or betrayal, submission or defiance, friend or enemy. And those who fed his delusions of grandeur, those who indulged his every whim, bear the weight of his sins as well.
And So Here We Are
The Duterte era is over, but its scars remain. Marawi still waits for true rehabilitation. The families of the drug war victims still cry for justice. The institutions he dismantled still struggle to rebuild.
And there he is—at The Hague.
History has a way of catching up, of demanding answers, of weighing actions against justice. For Duterte and those who stood by as he committed his greatest sins, reckoning has begun.
Not all battles are fought in the streets. Some are fought in the courtrooms of history. And in that trial, the verdict is being written—not just for Duterte, but for a nation that must decide whether to let darkness define its future or to finally choose a different path.
*Image from Nikkei Asia
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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