It seems the “Editorial Board” of the chi chi Washington Post is calling on United States president Donald Trump to intervene into what it describes as “the Philippines’ slide toward authoritarianism”.
It’s time for the Trump administration to adopt a new approach toward Mr. Duterte. A good first step would be to demand that the charges against Ms. Robredo and other opposition leaders be dropped.
Much of the “facts” it cites to back its position remain hopelessly debatable, however…
Since his election in 2016, Mr. Duterte’s so-called war on drugs has killed more than 6,600 narcotic users and dealers. Activists estimate that more than 27,000 mainly low-income and marginalized individuals have also been caught in the crossfire. Only one of the murders has resulted in the conviction of the police officers at fault. Now, for criticizing this shocking record, Ms. Robredo and other critics may face criminal prosecution.
All sound familiar? That is because these are all snippets of the prescribed campaign mantra of the current Philippine Opposition — the very fodder for an electoral bid that resulted in a catastrophic loss for its entire eight-candidate coalition this year.
This also presents a conundrum to the snowflakes that lead the Philippines’ “liberal” Opposition camps. Embrace Trump’s support if he decides to heed the Post’s call? Perhaps anything will do as long as it contributes to their end goal — to fast track their bid for a re-taking of Imperial Manila’s halls of power from Mindanao’s Dark Horse.
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