ISEAS Perspective: The Evolution of Davao’s Death Squads and the War on Drugs in the Philippines

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before lawmakers to answer questions about his administration’s war on drugs, marking his first appearance in any investigation on the matter, at the Senate on October 28, 2024 in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines | Photo by Ezra Acayan/GETTY IMAGES ASIAPAC/Getty Images via AFP

In this paper published by NYSEAN Partner ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Danilo A. Reyes provides an overview of Rodrigo Duterte’s rise to power from Mayor of Davao City to President of the Philippines. He argues that Duterte’s popularity did not exist in a vacuum–rather, he emerged during the chaotic political transition in 1986 away from the Marcos dictatorship to democratic rule. 

Danilo A. Reyes is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.