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Early political career
Personal and public image
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During his term as the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has received criticism on social media, particularly on Twitter, for various issues and for remarks on his speeches.
List of criticisms
Rape of an Australian missionary remarks
On April 17, 2016, Duterte was the subject of controversy after he made remarks about a rape incident during a campaign event about a hostage-taking incident in Davao City which occurred in 1989.[1] A group of 17 Australian missionaries were held captive by inmates in a jail where they were preaching.[2] The incident ended in fatalities with 16 inmates and five missionaries dead, including Jaqueline Hamill, 36, who was also raped.[3] Upon seeing Hamill's corpse, Duterte remarked:
"Was I mad because she was raped? Yes, that's one of the reasons. But she really was beautiful. The mayor should have been first."
— Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte on Australian Rape Victim: "Napaka Ganda. Dapat Mayor ang Mauna", YouTube (2016), Beatboxer Ng Pinas (uploader)[4]
The crowd cheered with laughter. The video which recorded Duterte's remark went viral and he was immediately condemned by a wide array of individuals and the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, Amanda Gorely.[5] Duterte received criticism from a wide variety of sectors, including netizens and the Christian missionary group victimized by the hostage-taking.[6]Presidential candidate Grace Poe called him "distasteful and unacceptable", while another candidate Mar Roxas said Duterte "should not hold power", and Jejomar Binay urged voters not to vote for him.[7] Miriam Santiago said Duterte "crossed the line" with the remark, but also recognized the freedom of expression of Duterte and critics of his remarks.[8] Feminist group GABRIELA Women's Party condemned the presidential candidate saying that "rape is a serious crime".[9]
Duterte later apologized for the incident and acknowledged the comment as a "bad remark" saying he regretted his "gutter language" but would not apologize for what he said. He insists though that the remark was not a "joke" as reported by some media outlets, saying that he stated it in a narrative. He further said that he was not apologizing for stating the remark reasoning that he made the remark out of "utter anger" when he recalled the events that followed prior to that hostage taking incident.[10][11]
In connection with the rape scandal experienced by her father, Sara Duterte on Monday took to her Instagram account to admit that she was also a rape victim.[12] However, Rodrigo Duterte dismissed his daughter's admission and referred to her as a "drama queen".[13]
Duterte also criticized back the remarks of women's groups.[14]
Duterte was also critical of the scathing comments made by American ambassador Philip Goldberg and Australian ambassador Amanda Gorely on his remark on the rape incident.[15][16][17] Duterte urged Australia and the United States to cut out ties with the Philippines if he was elected president in response to the ambassadors' critical comments.[18]
Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
The passage of Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 was met by criticism among politicians, religious organizations, and as well as celebrities on social media, with the hashtag #JunkTerrorBill trended on the Twitter platform. American singer Taylor Swift voiced her opposition through her Instagram story while Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg joined the petition against anti-terrorism law.[19][20]
Burial of Ferdinand Marcos
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Duterte supported the burial of late President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig.[21] On November 8, 2016, the Supreme Court permitted Marcos' burial in a 9–5–1 vote.[22] Marcos was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on November 18.[23] As a result, the hashtag #MarcosNOTaHero and #OccupyLNMB quickly trended on Twitter.[24]
Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The hashtag #OustDuterte and #OustDuterteNow soon become trended one day after the beginning of pandemic in the Philippines.[25] The netizens accused the government for failing to take immediate action of imposing the travel ban on all flights from China.[25]
On April 2, 2020 the hashtag was trended again on Twitter which garnered 327,000 tweets following Duterte's remarks of ordering to "shoot" the violators of COVID-19 quarantine protocol during his speech on April 1.[26][27] His remarks were widely condemned by netizens on Twitter including the local celebrities.[28]
ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy, shutdown and franchise denial
The shutdown of ABS-CBN, the Philippines' largest and leading television network, was met with massive criticism and outcry among local celebrities and television viewers, as well as politicians and militant groups.[29][30] The franchise controversy mainly focuses on the disputes between the Duterte administration and ABS-CBN, which Duterte has criticized the ABS-CBN Network for their "alleged biased and unfavorable news coverage" against Duterte, beginning with his presidential campaign in the 2016 Philippine presidential election.[31] Duterte voiced his opposition against the network's renewal of congressional franchise, stating that "I will see to it that you're out."[32] After the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Solicitor General Jose Calida issued a cease and desist order against ABS-CBN,[33][34] the network effectively ceased broadcasting on May 5, 2020.[35][36][37]
Release of Joseph Scott Pemberton
On October 11, 2014, Joseph Scott Pemberton killed trans woman Jennifer Laude inside the Olongapo motel.[38] On December 1, 2015, Pemberton was convicted of murder, sentenced him to 6 to 12 years in jail.[39] On September 2, 2020, Branch 74 of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court granted Joseph Scott Pemberton's partial motion of reconsideration, thereby releasing him from prison.[40][41][42] On September 7, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte granted an absolute pardon to Pemberton,[43] which was justified by his spokesman Harry Roque, who was once a legal counsel for the Laude family.[44] The pardon, which was condemned by the Laude family,[45] sparked outrage in the LGBT community,[46] as well as high-profile personalities from senators[47] to celebrities.[48] The hashtag #JusticeForJenniferLaude landed on the top trending spot in social media, where majority of the posts were critical of Duterte.[49] On September 11, 2020, several LGBT communities held a rally to protest Duterte's absolute of pardon of Joseph Scott Pemberton.[50]
Duterte's absence from the public eye / #NasaanAngPangulo
Duterte's absence from the public eye during the press briefings in preparation for incoming typhoons (recently typhoons Goni (Rolly) and Vamco (Ulysses)) drew uproar on social media and the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo (#WhereisthePresident) trended on Twitter.[51][52] As a result, several youths staged a protest to condemn the government's lack of response to the recent calamities and also calling Duterte to step down if he did not heed the demands of the strike.[53][54] Duterte defended his absence, stating that he visited his parents' grave in Davao.[55]
Ironically, the hashtag #NasaanAngBisePresidente (#WhereistheVicePresident) was dominated on Twitter, asking the whereabouts of Vice President Leni Robredo during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Krovanh (Vicky) on December 19, 2020, that brought massive flooding in parts of Mindanao.[56][57]
The hashtag trended once again on April 7, 2021, following Duterte's cancellation of his weekly national address, in which netizens aired their speculations over the president's health and whereabouts.[58] On the same day, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Duterte would not deliver his public address due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.[59]
Death of River Nasino
River Nasino (July 1, 2020 – October 9, 2020) died in a Manila hospital after suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome while her mother Reina Mae Nasino was detained for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.[60] A 23-year-old human rights worker Nasino and two other activists were arrested at Tondo, Manila on November 5, 2019 and they were detained at the Manila City Jail for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, a non-bailable offense.[61][62] After the court gave the detainee only six hours of furlough (three hours for the wake and another three hours for the burial) to allow her to visit her daughter's wake, a funeral for the baby River was laid on October 14, 2020 in Pandacan, Manila and she was buried on October 16, 2020 at Manila North Cemetery, with the police forces being deployed at the area.[63][64] The baby's death sparked sympathy while the condemnation targeted towards the treatment of Reina Nasino during the baby's funeral and burial, ranging from activists to local celebrities.[65] The hashtag #JusticeForBabyRiver and #FreeReinaMaeNasino, as well as #OustDuterteNOW became trending on Twitter in October 16, 2020.[65]
2020 Tarlac shooting
The shooting incident in Paniqui, Tarlac sparked nationwide outrage, with some news outlets relate this incident to the Philippine drug war, which is known for the police committing "crimes against humanity" during that campaign.[66] The incident happened on December 20, 2020 when an off-duty police officer, Jonel Nuezca, fatally shot his two unarmed neighbors following an argument over an improvised noise maker known locally as boga. The incident was caught on camera and went viral on social media.[67][68] A day after the incident, several netizens and celebrities condemned the killings on social media with the hashtags #StopTheKillingsPH, #PulisAngTerorista ("the police are the terrorists"), #EndPoliceBrutality and #JusticeForSonyaGregorio dominating on Twitter in the Philippines, as well as in Singapore and Dubai.[69][70]
Others
During the 2017 ASEAN Summits, which was held in the Philippines, American singer Bette Midler called Duterte "murderous dictator" through Twitter after the latter serenaded U.S. President Donald Trump. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. explained that Duterte serenaded to impress the singer Pilita Corrales, not Trump.[71]
