Who is Rodrigo Duterte? Ex-president nicknamed ‘The Punisher’ for Philippines bloody war on drugs

Duterte has bragged about a violent past and once said he would be ‘happy’ to kill three million drug addicts

Philippines Duterte's Chaotic Arrest (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte rose to power saying he "would be happy to slaughter" the millions of drug addicts that he said were destroying his country through crime.

During his presidency from 2016 to 2022, Duterte styled himself as an anti-drug crusader, whose ruthless "war on drugs" saw thousands killed.

Dubbed “The Punisher”, Duterte bragged about a violent past. Now he is appearing in front of The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

CPI-FILIPINAS-DUTERTE (AP)

Duterte’s anti-drug campaign raised global alarm over allegations of extrajudicial killings as police launched a crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers.

Duterte has repeatedly denied the allegations and said the drugs problem was a national security issue. Duterte has said he instructed police to kill only in self-defence.

From prosecutor to Davao death squads

Duterte was born in Maasin city to politician and lawyer Vicente Duterte and teacher Soledad Roa.

By 15 years old, he carried a gun. At 16, he claims he stabbed someone to death, although he has become known for his dubious boasts.

Despite being kicked out of schools, Duterte went on to study law. He spent a total of 20 years as a prosecutor, vice-mayor and then mayor of southern Philippine city of Davao.

The ICC has been investigating allegations mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte in Davao and later as president. Estimates of the death toll of the crackdown during Duterte's presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

In 2015 Human Rights Watch described Duterte as the “death squad mayor” over his alleged tactics in dealing with violent crime in Davao, with more than 1,000 people being killed.

Philippines Duterte ICC Explainer (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“License to kill”

“Am I the death squad? True. That is true,” Duterte told television that year, but he has dismissed the allegations. During his presidency such comments would bring his aides out to say such remarks should not be taken literally and that they were a joke.

In 2016, Duterte won the presidency on an audacious but failed promise to eradicate illegal drugs and corruption within three to six months, in a country long weary of crime and corruption scandals.

“All of you who are into drugs... I will really kill you,” Duterte told a huge crowd in a campaign stop in Manila. “I have no patience, I have no middle ground. Either you kill me or I will kill you idiots.”

He also compared himself to Adolf Hitler, saying he would be “happy to slaughter” three million drug addicts in an analogy between the holocaust and his war on drugs.

He also bragged about looking for the criminals to kill while riding around on a motorbike.

His boasting about violence extended to attacks on women and the press. Perhaps most notably, he joked on the campaign about the rape of an Australian missionary killed in a 1989 prison riot in Davao. He later apologised.

Philippines Duterte (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Anti-drug operations 2016 to 2022

Duterte won the 2016 presidency race by a wide margin.

Shortly after being elected, Duerte offered security officers bounties for the bodies of suspected drug dealers and protection to police over the crackdown.

Between 12,000 and 30,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in connection with anti-drugs operations during his presidency, according to data cited by the ICC.

The deaths are believed to have mainly been men from low-income and urban regions shot by both police and unidentified assailants.

Duterte has remained defiant. "Show to me now the legal basis for my being here," Duterte asked police during his arrest, in remarks captured on video by his daughter, Veronica Duterte and posted on social media. "You have to answer now for the deprivation of liberty."

In a brief statement after the plane had taken off, the ICC confirmed that one of its pre-trial chambers had issued an arrest warrant for Duterte on charges of "murder as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines between Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019."