In May 2022, elections will be held in the Philippines, and the brutal President Rodrigo Duterte will not be able to run again after six years in office. A ZDF documentary by Zeitenspiegel reporter Carsten Stormer shows the state in which he is leaving his country.
Shortly after becoming president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte ignited a war on drugs in 2016, which human rights organizations estimate cost 30,000 lives. The brutal crackdown served to distract from the country's poor economic situation and high levels of corruption.
The coronavirus crisis, which hit the island nation particularly hard, was used by Duterte to expand his power during the state of emergency. His government deployed the military and police against people who violated the strict quarantine measures. There were also shootings. Critical media outlets were shut down, critics were jailed, and journalists were intimidated.
Zeitenspiegel reporter Carsten Stormer, who lives in Manila, has followed developments in the Philippines over the six years under Duterte. He meets Duterte's opponents and supporters, victims of his violence and perpetrators, accompanies police officers on raids – and on the execution of an impossible mission: to make a country drug-free within six months.
This film shows what can happen when a society that has been neglected by its rulers for decades loses faith in its leaders. And allows itself to be seduced by populism.
The documentary has been available in the ZDF media library since April 29, 2022:
First broadcast on ZDF is on May 5th at 1:00 AM.