Academia
Filipinos in Europe are enjoying the kind of governance that elevates human rights on a pedestal. But back home, why do they rabidly support the most fascist and the most murderous leader the Philippines has ever produced?
A protester holds a life-size cardboard cutout of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte during a demonstration on Feb. 23 in support of him outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is on trial on charges of crimes against humanity. (AFP/Simon Wohlfahrt)
For the first five months of this year, I stayed in Europe for study and work. I saw, as well as heard confirmatory accounts, that a big majority of my countrymen who are living and working in the old continent are Die-hard Duterte Supporters (DDS). Those in the know affirm that the same holds true for Filipino communities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and most especially in many countries in the Middle East.It’s no surprise then that before proceeding to The Hague, Netherlands, where she frequently visits her father, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte makes side trips to various foreign cities, where she speaks in meet-and-greet gatherings to rally her family’s loyal supporters. Just early this week, Sara attended such an event in London where she spoke before a relatively big DDS crowd.
