Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, surprised some folks when he announced Saturday that he was reversing his decision to campaign for vice president in the country's election next year.
Because Duterte was known for an authoritarian governing style, perhaps best exemplified by the violent war on drugs he launched, his critics suspected his pursuit of the vice presidency was really a front to circumvent the Filipino constitution, which prevented him from running for re-election. As second-in-command, he could still return to the presidency if his successor were to leave office for any reason.
Now, he's acknowledging that the "overwhelming sentiment" throughout the Philippines is that he isn't the right person for the job. So, how did he reach that point of apparent self-awareness?
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Skeptics would first point out that he's gone back on his word before, The Wall Street Journal notes. But Richard Heydarian, an associate professor at Polytechnic University of the Philippines who focuses on geopolitics, said Duterte may think he has a better shot at retaining influence over the country's politics if he steps out of a formal role and instead plays kingmaker. Others think he may be clearing the path for his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, to make a surprise bid for the presidency. Duterte-Carpio, the mayor of the Philippines' third-largest city, has said she wasn't seeking the role and has filed for re-election, but she has typically topped opinion prospective polls and would likely become a frontrunner, Reuters reports.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU partySpeed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian stateSpeed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
