Replies

Filipino here.
As usual, everything is complicated, and judgement of Duterte is contextual. The people, the ordinary Filipinos, poor and oppressed for centuries, love him because he is the Filipino Id - not the ego or superego. What they think or would like to think, he lays out in the open. It is an extremely communal, self suppressed culture. He is in the way of being a relief valve.
The drug trade (and illegal gambling) are supported by officials and police. That’s their main source of income. Like it or not there was nothing to be done here but throw a tremendous scare into that system, which cannot be otherwise controlled by central authorities. The laws, there, amount to suggestions. So every police agency in the country was frightened into proving their loyalty in blood, killing their assets, or finding fall-guys, to deflect blame.
One day, maybe, he will wear out his welcome and the mass of the people will turn against him. But probably not unless the economy suffers a major reverse. He has been good, or lucky, with the economy, which matters more than anything in a poor country.
But until then he is untouchable as he reflects truly ancient class resentments, as he is the man of the Filipino “Deplorables”. And over there the “Deplorables” are most people.