President Rodrigo Duterte joins the ranks of other OCCRP’s Persons of the Year which include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Romanian Parliament. AP/Aaron Favila
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, which has received strong criticisms both at home and abroad, earned him the recognition of “Person of the Year” for 2017.
The title was given by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, an American non-profit organization which recognizes the “individual who has done the most in the world to advance organized criminal activity.”
Duterte beat South African President Jacob Zuma and the recently-ousted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
“The global panel of nine corruption-fighting journalists, scholars and activists chose Duterte on the strength of his brutal war on drugs,” OCCRP said.
OCCRP editor Drew Sullivan, also one of the nine judges who selected the Person of the Year, said that “Duterte has made a mockery of rule of law in his country.”
“While he is not your typical corrupt leader, he has empowered corruption in an innovative way. His death squads have allegedly focused on criminals but, in fact, are less discriminating,” Sulivan said.
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He noted that the tough-talking chief executive has empowered a “bully-run system of survival of the fiercest.”
“In the end, the Philippines [is] more corrupt, more cruel and less democratic,” Sullivan said.
Duterte was a runner-up in 2016—the same year when he assumed office with a vow to eradicate îllégâl drugs within six months. He did not make good of his promise.
He joins the ranks of other OCCRP’s Persons of the Year which include Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Romanian Parliament.
Duterte’s war on drugs has claimed You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., according to rights watchdog.
But the government has disputed these numbers. According to the administration’s yearend report, 3,967 “drug personalities” died in anti-drug operations.
The government data also showed that authorities are probing a total of 16,355 drug war-linked deaths as “homicide cases” not as You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
Known for his profanity-laced statements, Duterte also attacked and cursed at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
OCCRP is a not-for-profit consortium of regional investigative centers and for-profit independent media in Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and Africa working “to advance public understanding of how organized crime and corruption affect lives.”
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