Rodrigo Duterte’s Legacy Looms Over Philippines from The Hague Prison Cell
Unofficial Midterm Results Reveal Growing Rift Between President Marcos and Duterte
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Tens of millions of Filipinos voted in the country's midterm elections Monday - with unofficial results that are almost complete showing that the nation -- based on the key nationwide race for 12 Senate seats -- is split pretty evenly between incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. The elections will decide half the 24-strong Senate, all 317 members of the House of Representatives and thousands of local municipal leaders and legislators. Unofficial results that are almost complete show that the nation -- based on the key nationwide race for 12 Senate seats -- is split pretty evenly between incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Duterte. This is a much better result for the Duterte camp than opinion surveys had suggested. Official declarations are due in a week, after candidates have had a chance to challenge the outcome. The outcome in the race for the 12 Senate seats was at odds with what the opinion polls had suggested. Some, like local pollster Pulse Asia, expected only two Duterte allies to win. But with some 78% of registered voters' ballots counted, three vocal supporters of Duterte were set to win seats, and two others in the top 12 are leaning quite heavily towards his camp. Of the candidates in the other top-12 positions, five are in the camp of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and two are unaffiliated - Nikkei Asia
Duterte has been elected mayor of his family's stronghold, according to early, partial results. Not only that - two of his most loyal aides - long-time assistant Christopher "Bong" Go and Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the one-time police chief in charge of enforcing his drug war - have been re-elected to the country's senate. The fate of Duterte's daughter, Vice-President Sara Duterte, remains in the balance as counting continues - BBC
Before election day, about 600 cases of suspected vote-buying and abuse of state resources were reported to the Commission on Elections, with a surge noted in the last few days before the vote, the Philippine Star reported. Reports reaching the Comelec indicated that the buy-and-sell of votes continued on election day itself. “Just because an illegal activity is widespread does not legitimize the deed. And it is the duty of relevant authorities to stop the activity and prevent its recurrence,” the newspaper said in an editorial.
My comment: The word “monstrous” barely captures the brutality that defined Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure—first as mayor of Davao, then as president of the Philippines. Under the banner of his so-called war on drugs, Duterte enabled a campaign of terror marked by tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings. It was only through the courage of former allies-turned-whistleblowers that enough evidence was gathered for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act. The ICC’s arrest warrant alleges that Duterte - also known as Digong and Rody - not only condoned but actively created, funded, and armed “death squads” responsible for executing suspected drug users and dealers. Official police figures report 6,200 deaths during anti-drug operations over Duterte’s six-year term. However, human rights groups say the true toll is far higher, with many more urban poor killed under murky, unexplained circumstances. Duterte once compared himself to Adolf Hitler, saying he would kill millions of drug addicts, CNN reported. He also reportedly cursed Pope Francis for traffic problems caused by the pontiff’s visit to the Philippines. During a recent visit to Dubai, I spoke with a Filipino hotel worker who expressed strong support for Duterte’s drug crackdown during his presidency. That sentiment appears to be widely shared—both in the Philippines and among many Filipinos overseas.
U.S. and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war to allow for more talks on resolving their trade disputes. Stock markets rose sharply as the globe’s two major economic powers took a step back from a clash that has unsettled the global economy. Economists warned that tariffs still remained higher than before and that the outcome of future talks was uncertain. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145 per cent tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30 per cent, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%. Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the tariff reductions at a news conference in Geneva. The two officials struck a positive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said at the news briefing following two days of talks that the high tariff levels would have amounted to a complete blockage of each side’s goods -- an outcome neither side wants. “The consensus from both delegations this weekend is neither side wants a decoupling,” Bessent said. “And what had occurred with these very high tariff ... was an embargo, the equivalent of an embargo. And neither side wants that. We do want trade…We want more balanced trade,” he said. “And I think that both sides are committed to achieving that.” - Bloomberg
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said the talks achieved substantial progress by significantly reducing bilateral tariff levels, which meets the expectations of manufacturers and consumers in both countries and is in line with the interests of both nations and the broader global community. China hopes that the US will continue to work with China, move in the same direction, fully rectify its erroneous practice of imposing unilateral tariffs, and further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, according to the spokesperson. Ying Pinguang, dean of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics' School of Global Governance, said, "China and its exporters will closely watch US actions in the next phase, particularly whether it delivers on concrete steps regarding key issues such as tariffs and export controls." - China Daily
Hamas released Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage it held in Gaza, on Monday evening, after mediators brokered a deal between the group and the United States that largely circumvented the Israeli government. Mr. Alexander’s release came on the eve of a visit by President Trump to the Middle East, and was portrayed by Hamas officials as an attempt to secure U.S. support for a wider deal to end the war. Mr. Alexander, 21, was among roughly 250 people seized and taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the war in Gaza. A dual Israeli American national serving in the Israeli Army, he was captured from a military post that morning. He grew up in New Jersey and moved to Israel after high school to join the military. Unlike most other hostages, Mr. Alexander was released without a formally announced cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, highlighting the failure of efforts to secure a broader truce between the two sides. Hamas still holds at least 20 living hostages — along with some 40 dead bodies, including those of several Americans — but it is reluctant to release more of them unless Israel agrees to hold negotiations to end the war. Israel wants the right to continue the war after any future truce, leading to an impasse in the talks - NYT
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he supports the US President's idea of direct talks with Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on 15 May and hopes Donald Trump will be there too. "All of us in Ukraine would appreciate it if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Türkiye. This is the right idea. We can change a lot…I hope that the Russians will not evade the meeting," he added, while awaiting an official answer from the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin himself suggested "direct talks" with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, but has not responded to Zelensky's invitation - Euronews
Even though a 30-day ceasefire was to have kicked in late Monday, Russia attacked Ukraine with over 100 drones in the early hours of the day. In Odesa, a building owned by the justice ministry was damaged.
At least 126 Indians have joined the Russian army to fight in the war in Ukraine, according to the Indian government. France 24 reported that at least 12 have been killed and 16 are still missing. Many of the affected Indians, most from poor families, were reportedly lured with promises of lucrative jobs and roles as helpers, cooks and housekeepers in Russia. However, upon arrival, they were sent directly to war zones. If true, they would be joining Chinese national who’ve also reportedly signed up to fight for the Russians. Lately, I have observed Indian nationals entering Ukraine being given more scrutiny by border guards, with at least one detained for further questioning.
The U.N. aviation council on Monday ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 with the deaths of 298 passengers and crew, the Dutch government said. In a statement, it said the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization would in the coming weeks consider what form of reparation was in order. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. In November 2022, Dutch judges convicted two Russian men and a Ukrainian man in absentia of murder for their role in the attack. Moscow called the ruling “scandalous” and said it would not extradite its citizens. The ICAO, which is based in Montreal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case was launched in 2022 by Australia and the Netherlands. “The decision is an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for all victims of Flight MH17, and their families and loved ones,” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said in a statement - Reuters
Six members of a Russian spy ring run from a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth have been jailed for running espionage operations across Europe. The six Bulgarian spies conducted surveillance for Russia "on an industrial scale", targeting journalists, dissidents and Ukrainian troops in London, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro. Roussev admitted his role along with his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, who was jailed for 10 years and two months and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who was handed five years and three weeks in prison.Female "honeytrap" agents Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, and competitive swimmer Tihomir Iv anov Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty at the Old Bailey in March of activities which police have said put lives and national security at risk. Ivanova was jailed for nine years and eight months. Gaberova, of Euston, north London, was jailed for six years, eight months and three weeks, having found spying for Russia to be "exciting and glamorous", the judge said. Her ex-boyfriend Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, was sentenced to eight years in prison. It is believed to be one of the "largest and most complex" enemy operations to be uncovered on UK soil.
President Donald Trump seems to think he deserves credit for the election of the first American pope. On Sunday, Trump blasted ABC News host Martha Raddatz over an episode of This Week with George Stephanopoulos that delved into Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost’s path to the papacy. “So funny to watch old timer Martha Raditz [sic] on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It came out of nowhere, but it was on her Trump Deranged Mind.” The president appeared to be reacting to a roundtable where ABC correspondent Terry Moran said, citing Vatican insiders, that Trump didn’t factor into the cardinals’ decision-making. “The question that we had was, ‘How much did the American moment with President Trump matter?’” Moran said. “They’re telling us, not at all. It was him (Prevost) that mattered.” Raddatz agreed, adding: “That’s what we’ve been hearing this morning—it was him,” referring to Prevost. Trump countered their points by touting that he won the Catholic vote “by a lot.” He called on Disney CEO Bob Iger to “do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low-rated shows. It’s time for change.” - Daily Beast
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