longer accountable for any wrongful acquittals. Te act has been brought to the Supreme Court to question it on constitutional grounds.
Meanwhile the EU has also raised concerns over the human rights issues concerning founder and CEO of Rappler news service, Maria Ressa and has asked the Philippines to drop charges against her and also to renew the franchise of the ABS-CBN network which was ordered to shut down by the National Telecommunications Commission in May.
ABS-DBN, the largest television network in the Philippines was shut down after congress refused to renew the station’s 25-year licence. It’s not the only media to come under attack.
Te independent news website Rappler, which has published critical stories about Duterte’s drug war, is also under fire. Te Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission, an agency under the President, has revoked the registration of Rappler citing violation of foreign ownership.
Rappler was launched in 2012 as an online news organisation. In September the European parliament called for the Philippine government to drop charges against Maria Ressa, who was arrested on ‘cyber libel’ charges in June and is facing 100 years in prison for various charges.
Te government apparently created false P60 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Facebook accounts and have bombarded social media with propaganda against Ressa.
Tere’s a long list of injustices Duterte is accused of and many hope that as his health appears to deteriorate his ability to run during the 2022 elections may be in question.
At 75 he has revealed several ailments which are often cited for reasons behind his absences from official events. On the one hand this elicits sympathy from his loyal supporters and on the other, raises concerns over his capability to rule. If he steps down Vice President Leni Robredo would lead - he is a member of the opposition and vocal critic of the President.
Te election of Duterte in 2016 as the 16th President of the Philippines signified huge changes for the country.
But despite an apparent huge mass appeal to
some he has been associated with several questionable practices, particularly his shockingly violent campaign to eradicate crime and drug pushers in the country. Tis has made him popular in some respects but also earned him titles such as ‘Duterte Harry’ and ‘Te Punisher’.
Duterte is a previous mayor of Davao City, which he served for 22 years and he was a key figure behind the extrajudicial killings of drug users, street children and criminals. Human rights groups have documented over 1,400 killings by the alleged Davao Death Squad operating between 1998 and 2016. An investigation was closed in 2019 with no evidence of the existence of the death squad or connecting Duterte to the killings.
Later his Presidential campaign came with a promise to kill thousands of criminals and to end crime within six months. With 7,000 deaths
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