Great mayor. May be a fine president, not sure. His methods aren't ideal but are effective. Lived in Davao for 16 years and still go home every year. Never found anyone that disagreed with his methods back home. Everyone I know from different parts of Mindanao all wish they had a mayor like him. Even my friends that have lived in NCR all their lives all think that Duterte would be a fitting president. This is coming from well-educated people that graduated top of their class from Pisay Main and UP Diliman, and have been active in different political org varying from Stand UP to Alyansa. These people aren't naive and have done their research. Heck, ask the UP Professors that probably know more about this matter and they would agree that Duterte, though might not be a perfect candidate, would be a good fit for president. The only ones I have heard that have anything against him are some random netizens that have probably never even been in Davao, let alone Mindanao, and are probably misinformed about his actions, believing in exaggerated stories about him. They're then making these random assumptions about him and defend their opinions like it's the truth even if it's based on nothing.
So far from what I've read, the common misconception is that Duterte just has people killed by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) if they're assumed to be a criminal. You just make one mistake, and it would be game over for you. This is completely false. You see, they run extensive background checks which would run for weeks. When they're 100% sure that you're committing significant criminal acts (not just some petty stuff like jaywalking/parking illegally/etc. as some here would laughably suggest) they don't just shoot you on the spot. They talk to you, they tell you that they're watching you. They try to convince you to change your ways, and tell you to come clean and surrender yourself to the police if need be. They then monitor you, and come back every couple of weeks and talk to you again if you're that hardheaded and won't stop whatever criminal offense you're doing. If you still wont listen after weeks of warnings. That's it, the end. One day two guys riding a motorcycle will drive by and shoot you in the head. Game over. Why do I know all this? Well, for one it's already common knowledge among Davaoenos but I have first hand accounts from my elementary friend about his dad and my highschool friend about his drug supplier as they have been targets of the DDS. My memory is a bit hazy since it's been years since I last heard the story but basically, my elementary friend's dad was framed for a murder. While the case was still ongoing his dad wen't into hiding as the guy didn't want to go to jail for a crime he didn't commit. The DDS were somehow able to find my friend's dad and warn him that should it be proven that he did commit the murder, he should turn himself in unless he wants the DDS to take care of him themselves. Luckily, his lawyers were able to prove that he was innocent and he no longer received any warnings from the DDS. For my high school friend, he used to get his weed(I think it was weed, can't remember) from a local dealer. One day two guys came and told the dealer to stop and gave him a warning. Same old story, the dealer never listened despite the repeated warnings. Weeks later they gave told him that it would be his last warning, should he continue selling drugs, he better turn himself in or be prepared for the worst. Still, the dealer didn't give two shits so the next week two guys came by and shot him dead. Everyone in their neighborhood and even the drug dealer's family knew about his dealings and how he was warned multiple times. So by the time he was finally shot down, everybody was already kinda expecting it already. Yes of course the family was saddened by his death but that didn't make them curse out the DDS and Duterte. Just wanted to use these examples to show that the DDS aren't just going to shoot some random guy because he took the wrong path in life. They run extensive background checks and talk to the person to make sure he knows he's being monitored. Sadly, more often than not, these people that get shot down just down listen. Also wanted to add that my elementary friend and his Dad would still root for Duterte even after that DDS/framed murder incident as they know that these vigilantes aren't just mindlessly killing criminal suspects.
Is this method the prefect way of dealing with criminals? Okay, maybe not. Is it the most humane thing to do? Okay, maybe not. Is it effective enough to keep Davao one of the safest cities to live in for the 20-plus years Duterte has been mayor? Hell yes. I have lived in Manila for 6 years and not once did I feel completely safe walking alone late at night in these streets, while every time I go back to Davao I fearlessly walk home from my friend's house after a night of drinking.
Certainly, if Duterte becomes president he would have to adjust as his methods in handling a big city like Davao wouldn't translate completely well in handling a whole country. But I believe that he would be definitely be able to do so. Surely he wouldn't be able to create a nationwide death squad but the thing is he doesn't need one to be effective. This whole DDS thing has been the main focus for arguments that people forget that even without it, he'd still be a great mayor. Besides his handling of the criminal activities in Davao, he is also capable of handling the economic side of things as you can see that Davao is no slouch in its economic advancements. Improvements are made yearly as new infrastructure are being built and there's even a train to be built at around 5 years from now in a deal made with Korean investors. Maybe there are some other people that can also share their stories about Duterte and how he has helped improved the city. I just made this post hopefully to clear up about the misconceptions about the DDS and remind everyone that even without it he'd still make a great mayor. He is smart a person of great character and is cares a whole lot about his people without any bullshit . If you think the DDS is unnecessary and Duterte is just overrated by Davaoenos, please take a trip to Mindanao and go ask around random citizens in the different cities from Butuan to Iligan to Cotabato. I have, and the first thing someone mentions whenever they hear that I'm from Davao is how much they wish they had a mayor like him.
I do not think Duterte is perfect, but I'll be damned if he isn't a great Mayor for Davao. Personally, I wouldn't want him to run for president and just keep him as our mayor. But if ever he does win as President I'm sure he'd be able to do really well and be a huge catalyst for change in this country. To those that still disagree with him being president, it's alright. I respect your opinion. I'd rather have him as mayor anyway. But to those some, please stop sharing your opinions about those imaginary what ifs: "what if nagpagkamalan lang ako papatayin na/ sa future if nag jaywalk, papatayin na" without researching first. Don't assume, read and ask first. You keep sharing your misinformed opinions here and maybe on facebook and other people might believe you. Give proper arguments as to why he shouldn't be president not just baseless assumptions. There have been those that argue that the DDS have been violating basic human rights and I actually agree with that. The only thing I can say is that if you take a deep look at how Davao has changed before and during his term, you'd see why we Davaoenos are so proud of him. If you think our country can change and improve in the near future by having a goody two shoes lead us? I wouldn't want to say you're delusional, but that's quite impossible. We need someone with an iron fist that knows his limits and Duterte might be the closest one we have as a candidate.
My first really long post and had plenty of pauses in between typing so my thoughts may have been incoherent. I apologize. I'll try to edit it later.