By Sanxuan
The current situation in the Philippines has become very severe. Since September 21, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Manila and launched the "Trillion Pesos March," the wave of protests has swept across more than 20 major cities nationwide. Protesters clashed with the police, with numerous incidents of throwing Molotov cocktails, arson, and road blockades. The police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds and arrested hundreds of people.
Thick crowds of protesters
Trillion Pesos March
The cause of this unrest is the corruption within the flood control infrastructure in the Philippines. As the investigation progresses, the family of President Marcos Jr. has been involved in this systemic corruption. Although corruption is not a big deal in the Philippine political system, this year's severe flooding and the risk of global economic recession have made the lives of the poor even more difficult.
Furthermore, the Marcos government has provoked China in the South China Sea for the sake of American interests. Due to these factors, the people can only vent their anger at the presidential palace. Over these days, Marcos Jr. has said on the surface that he understands the people's dissatisfaction and will handle it properly. At the same time, he also ordered the military and police to prepare for suppression.
Intense conflicts erupted on the streets of the Philippines
It should be said that this decision is not problematic, because any demonstration could potentially turn into violent conflicts under the provocation of some people. According to Philippine media reports, the situation during the day has been relatively under control, but at night, a large number of teenagers began looting, smashing, and setting fires. Among the hundreds of people arrested by the police, many are minors, with the youngest being just over 12 years old.
Adding fuel to the fire in The Hague
This further intensified the conflict between both sides. Marcos said that there might be external forces behind it, but the people were angry that even such young children were arrested, asking, "Are you still human?" From the current development of the situation, it seems that the riots in the Philippines show no sign of calming down. Marcos himself, for reasons unknown, has not appeared publicly or made any substantive statements.
Considering his father, who fled to the United States with billions of wealth after the public's fury, it cannot be ruled out that he is making similar preparations. And at this moment, an external force indeed intervened. The International Criminal Court in The Hague formally filed charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accusing him of three crimes against humanity, including involvement in at least 76 murders.
The Hague files charges against Duterte
These charges mostly come from Duterte's "drug war" during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and as the president of the Philippines. Duterte's position was simple, he had a deep hatred for drug issues. Considering the serious corruption in the Philippines and the shocking inefficiency of law enforcement, Duterte's approach to drug dealers was to eradicate them completely. Even ordinary civilians could be killed without any procedures, and they could receive bounties from Duterte.
Marcos' choice
Whether this behavior violated human rights, it definitely did. However, it objectively reduced the drug problem in the Philippines and greatly improved the sense of security among the people. Throughout Duterte's term, his popularity ratings were extremely high, reaching 70% before he left office, and calling him a good president for the people is not an exaggeration. However, this reformist person was betrayed by former allies in political struggles.
Marcos Jr. thought that by arresting Duterte, he could gain favor with the US, since Duterte once directly insulted the mother of the former US President Obama. But he forgot how his father was overthrown by the Filipino people and forced to flee to the United States.
Old Marcos was a loyal agent of the US
Now, the International Criminal Court filing charges is adding fuel to the fire in the chaos in the Philippines. The street crowds may not know what the International Criminal Court is, nor can they protest in The Hague, but throwing Molotov cocktails at the presidential palace would be simple enough. Now it remains to see what methods Marcos can come up with to quell the people's anger. Sacrificing relatives has already been tried, but it didn't work. Why doesn't he try resigning himself?
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553197702289441319/
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