A Dysfunctional Leader is a Nation’s Worst Nightmare
By: COL Dencio S. Acop (Ret), PhD, CPP | Published: November 1, 2025
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Rodrigo Duterte is arguably the Philippines’ worst leader of all time! The public records on Philippine presidents speak for themselves. In 1986, Filipinos thought they had lived through the worst presidency ever. Well, they were wrong because thirty years later, even the public ills and atrocities attributed to the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. would be topped by Duterte.
Paradoxically, the former mayor of Davao City held so much promise when he got elected in 2016 to lead his nation of 107 million people. Ironically, as well, the first leader from the south won because people believed his no-nonsense leadership exhibited in Davao was the kind of leadership needed to finally put an end to massive corruption that has plagued the country for so long with no visible solution in sight.
The inability of even his supposedly honest predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, to end corruption (as well as the determined efforts of some kingmakers) made Filipinos put the spotlight on Duterte. Some people might have already known about the extra-judicial killings of drug addicts (not drug lords) in Davao perpetrated by the death squads on orders of the mayor even before 2016.
However, this concern was set aside in the name of “if it made Davao ‘safe’, then perhaps it can do the same for the whole country.”
Of course, ignoring it was a strategic error for the country – something understood by many. Nevertheless, populism – fueled by locals with vested interests to gain and a little help from the Chinese Communist Party – cemented Duterte’s victory which did not have to reach 50.1% of national votes, thanks to an ineffective multi-party political system. Even with just 39% of the votes backing him, Duterte got to rule the Philippines.
Developments quickly turned from bad to worse for the country after that! The long-term adverse impacts of the Duterte administration are only now beginning to be felt by an entire nation! (Also read: A template for regime change)
Subscribe to the API Newsletter
Bite-sized updates sent straight to your inbox.
Success!
First Name
Last Name
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
First, human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings perpetrated in the Philippines were the worst under Duterte (2016-2022). The most severe damage came from Duterte’s highly-questionable “anti-drug war”, which resulted in widespread human rights violations. Official figures place the number of mass killings of mere suspects at over 6,200 though human rights groups estimate the actual death toll to be as high as 30,000. Most of the victims were from impoverished, marginalized communities. In contrast, there were at least 3,257 extrajudicial killings attributed to the first Marcos administration (1966-1986).
The fact that the Duterte government was responsible for at least twice the number of killings in just a third of the first Marcos administration’s length of term clearly characterizes the brutal intensity of the violations. As a result of this, Duterte is now facing trial for “crimes against humanity” before the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Furthermore, independent investigations by organizations like Human Rights Watch found that the Philippine National Police regularly planted evidence (such as guns and drugs) on the bodies of victims to justify their unlawful killings. Disturbingly, Duterte’s officials often dismissed the killings of children and unintended victims during raids as mere “collateral damage.”
Second, massive corruption rose to an all-time high during the Duterte administration. Despite running on an anti-corruption campaign platform, Duterte in fact made corruption the worst it has ever been in the Philippines. The leader sets the culture, especially in a “soft state” like the Philippines, and every corrupt official in the government got away with corruption citing the overall leader as their model. The present government in the Philippines may be uncovering one massive corruption deal after another, but much of what is being uncovered originated or occurred when Duterte and his minions were in charge. (Also read: Filipinos want accountability amidst economic issues—SWS survey)
When it is the president himself who signs off (not literally or legally, of course) on all types of irregularities across the different government sectors, there is no one to oppose him. All critical department heads, including those of the criminal justice system, are either members of his cabal of corruption, or are gone. (Also read: Marcos starts consolidation, purges Duterte loyalists)
The public records speak for themselves. This piece is merely an analysis. Scandals at multiple agencies were uncovered during his term, and even after, as we are witnessing now. These include the Pharmally scandal, PhilHealth scandal, Bureau of Immigration “pastillas” scandal, COVID-19 vaccines scandal, POGO scandal, etc.
Few or none of those accused were ever prosecuted. There were no resignations either because their overall model did not have the moral ascendancy to take legal action against them as he himself was leading or enabling the corruption charge. An official estimated that corruption cost the government over 1.4 trillion pesos in just two years (2017-2018), citing the loss of funds that could have built low-cost housing or other critical infrastructure.
As a result, the ranking of the Philippines on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index dipped significantly. Having said this, the anti-corruption record of the present administration appears no better either. The only difference is that Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. doesn’t appear to be as ruthless as his predecessor. Almost in regular succession, a senator keeps mouthing off exposes of allegations of massive corruption involving legislators. Mind-boggling schemes of intricate webs of corruption affecting even infrastructure projects intended for addressing disasters in the trillions of pesos are being currently exposed.
Third, Duterte weakened democratic governance and institutions during his term. He stifled dissent through his words and actions, openly threatening and harassing critics, including journalists, UN officials, and political opponents.
For instance, his government targeted independent media outlets like Rappler, convicting its co-founder and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa on politically motivated, trumped-up charges. The Duterte administration used social media to spread disinformation and create a climate of fear and distrust. Accountability mechanisms were blocked. Cabinet members were barred from attending senate hearings on alleged corruption. Membership of the Philippines in the International Criminal Court was withdrawn in 2019.
Finally, no Filipino leader has turned his back on a long-time ally and embraced his nation’s enemy as Rodrigo Duterte has. In a “harder” state, Duterte would have been prosecuted for treason. During his term, he defiantly and unabashedly taunted the United States but was clearly welcoming to China. Nothing could be more treasonous than desiring your country to become a “province” of the enemy.
For years, China has always been in the Philippines’ order of battle list for once aiding the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army and for encroaching into its territory and exclusive economic zone. The Philippines won the international arbitral ruling over China in 2016 and has a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States so there is absolutely no reason for Duterte to give in to China like he did.
The Philippines is a non-communist democracy and so cannot align with a communist power. The Duterte administration is an aberration in terms of Philippine-American defense ties which span more than a century. Whether we like it or not, we owe our freedom to the Americans. The Philippines is fortunate that, despite having terminated the US bases from its territory in 1991, allowing China to creep in, the US is still now helping the country stand up to China.
The geopolitical world the Philippines is situated in needs the help of the US as has always been the case since the Second World War. To be otherwise is geopolitical suicide. For those who think befriending China is inevitable, they should think again and re-study history. For, truth is farthest from that thesis. And if we do not or cannot see that, then we are truly lost indeed.
The post A Dysfunctional Leader is a Nation’s Worst Nightmare appeared first on asiapacificinsights.com.