Rodrigo Duterte, then 71 years old, defeated four other candidates to become president of the Philippines on May 10, 2016. He received 39% of the vote. He was this super captivating speaker who didn't hold back at all and sometimes even dropped some swear words. As mayor of Davao, the biggest city in Mindanao, he also excelled. He was this really tough and effective commander who cared more about keeping things in order and didn't waste time worrying about the constitutional rights of suspected criminals.

However, in 2018 alone, around 12,000 Filipinos lost their lives because of his whole "war on drugs" thing. Despite this, he's still really popular in the Philippines. He's got fans of all ages, backgrounds, and social statuses, and his popularity has always been around 50%.

And, given his poor and problematic background with human rights, the issue today is: how is this even possible?

Music:
*Dark Woods by Colorfilm Music
*24hr News by O2 Studio

Sound Bite:
*Rodrigo Duterte on drugs, death and diplomacy | Talk to AI Jazeera (AI Jazeera English YouTube Channel)

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