[LadyDoc]

despite the hysteria of the MSM and “human rights” folks, the murder rate is not much higher now than it was before Duterte: The difference is now the drug dealers are being killed, instead of civilians being killed by druggies who want to rob them (we had 3 elderly neighbors killed in recent years from such robberies). Indeed, the crime rate is way down.

StrategyPage has a good summary of what is going on:
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/phillip/articles/20191119.aspx

as for Duterte letting China take over the West Philippine sea: Obama pressured the previous president not to oppose them by sending the coast guard to stop China from harassing our fishermen, or by chasing Chinese boats building the islands. Instead Obama insisted he only go to court.

Now Duterte realizes no one can stop China and tried to make nice. But China didn't give much help, and most non elites here hate the Chinese for running the economy (which has been going on for 100 years) and making it impossible for locals to succeed.

Duterte hates the CIA because when he was mayor of Davao they got a guy out of jail and out of the country.

The CIA is busy opposing Duterte: they had chosen another candidate with CIA ties to win, and if she lost, their second choice was a crooked politician who they could influence. Instead the last minute Duterte won, thanks to grass roots support (by workers and small business owners). So the elites and NGOs and the MSM hate him: take his sarcasm out of context, exaggerate every murder as his fault (even when drug dealers kill each other, or when families whose members had died due to drugs arranged private revenge against the dealer). Even the political murders of low level mayors etc. blamed on him, even though these too were common before he took office.

The Philippines has a love/hate relationship with the USA. They don't want the US to own the country and run it, which is why the military bases were closed down in the early 1990s.

but most Filipinos like Americans and distrust China: however, they also know they can't fight China by themselves because we'd lose (a couple years ago, Vietnam fought China for stealing some of their islands, and lost that war: which is why VietNam now welcomes the US helping).

[Mark17]

Great post LD. I think maybe Duterte may have thought a little bit better about China, but I think what the Chinese did in the West Philippine sea, (I like that 😆) kind of soured him on China. The only alternative, was to go to war. It’s not like he gave up. He just knew a war would not work out well.
I think you are right about the people’s attitude toward the Chinese. My wife has two friends (sisters) whose father was born and raised in China. They were born near Maguindanao, but even they don’t like the Chinese much. They use their mothers maiden name, not their Chinese name. They don’t like the Indians much either. I think that has a lot to do with their loan sharking.
I have asked people on the street, if they think it is better now, after many drug dealers have been eliminated. They say yes, it’s much better. Not perfect, but better. You explained it well.
What I was told, is the policy is first, when dealing with the drug dealers pushing shabu, it’s knock knock talk. The next time, if they have to come back, it’s knock knock bang. Have you heard anything about that?
I am a Vietnam veteran too. I don’t think the Vietnamese have EVER liked China.