Why Duterte Is Not The Philippine Version Of Trump


Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the presumptive Philippine president-elect, has several similarities with Donald Trump but these similarities are only superficial.

When Mayor Duterte started his campaign several months ago, some parallels were drawn between him and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Some argued, including a few reputable journalists, that Duterte and Trump are very similar in many negative ways.

Image from YouTube screen grab.
Image from YouTube screen grab.

Social media word wars between the respective supporters and critics of the two presidential candidates have been intense. Online debates have been sufficiently intense that many social media users have also compared both Duterte and Trump to Hitler, thereby proving Godwin’s law.

This law is also known as argumentum ad Nazium, reductio ad Hitlerum, or a Hitler Card. It was formulated by a lawyer Mike Godwin in the 1990s, when he observed the tendency on online forum participants to use Hitler or Nazi as a comparison to anything that they totally dislike.

According to the law:

“As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.”

This is not to say that the comparison, totally has no basis. For instance, both Duterte and Trump are fond of politically incorrect trash talking against their rivals. Some political analysts also pointed out the demagoguery approach of these two candidates when addressing an audience in campaign sorties.

They are both riding on populist, but vague campaign slogans, promising unrealistic results.

Both Duterte and Trump earned the ire of international observers. On one hand, the mayor provoked international outrage when he joked about an Australian rape-slay victim. On the other hand, the celebrity billionaire is vowing to erect a wall at the Mexican border to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing.

The list of similarities between the mayor and the real estate mogul is long but not very significant. What is significant is the list of a few major differences as politicians.

Despite the many reprehensible public statements Duterte made during his campaign, he has an impressive record as a public servant. He is a seasoned politician with almost three decades of public service experience.

Duterte served as mayor and vice-mayor of Davao for several terms and he was also elected as a congressman. He has received numerous awards and he politely declined some of these awards, reasoning that he was only performing his duty.

Despite his pugnacious public image and allegations of human rights abuses, Mayor Duterte is a competent mayor. He was able to make Davao City as one of the most economically stable and socially progressive cities in the Philippines.

Mayor Duterte is actually more like Bernie Sanders in many ways, particularly in terms of his socialist leaning. He has the reputation of living a very simple lifestyle. He is also liberal in terms of his views regarding same-sex marriage.

To some great extent, the mayor is a peacemaker. He understands the plight of the Muslims in Mindanao and he is respected by many of the local tribes. The communist insurgents, including the Communist Party of the Philippines founder, Joma Sison, are willing to negotiate peace with him.

You can watch the documented Skype conversation between Joma Sison and Duterte in the video link below:

In terms of experience in public service and deeper understanding of serious socioeconomic/political issues, Trump is a total amateur compared to Duterte.

Considering his impulsive and narcissistic personality, electing Trump as president would be a leap of faith into an abyss of uncertainties.

 

Image from YouTube screen grab.

Homar has been a writer and editor for both print and online publications for more than fifteen years. He also worked for a scientific research institution and for a book publishing house. He currently works as a home-based freelance online writer and copy editor. He is active in various local civic organizations and regularly contributes as a columnist in regional newspapers in the Bicol Region, Philippines.