Democratic backsliding and threats to human rights in Dutertes Philippines

Rodrigo Duterte ended his six-year presidential term on June 2022 with the highest late-term approval rating among Philippine presidents in recent history. He also sustained high approval and trust ratings during the pandemic, even when he placed Manila under one of the world’s longest lockdowns, and throughout his violent war on drugs in which at least 7,700 civilians have been killed by government forces and anti-drug vigilantes. This chapter provides an analytical overview of Duterte’s appeal as a populist and its historical antecedents in the Philippines. It also offers an assessment of the challenges to human rights under his regime through systematic undermining of democratic institutions and civil society, with a focus on women’s rights. I argue that Duterte’s manipulation of media and rhetorical performance of masculinity, nationalism, and violence are key to his appeal.