Thousands of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's critics and supporters held rival rallies Thursday, taking emotional national debates over his deadly drug war and martial-law threats to the streets.Police in battle gear were mustered to keep order as protesters held a series of rallies across the capital of Manila, using the 45th anniversary of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposing martial law to warn that Duterte was equally violent and authoritarian."Our country is turning i

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will have his son killed if drug trafficking allegations against the younger politician are true, and that the police who carry out the hit will be protected from prosecution.Paolo Duterte, 42, this month appeared before a senate inquiry to deny accusations made by an opposition lawmaker he was a member of a Chinese triad who helped smuggle in a huge shipment of crystal methamphetamine from China.President Duterte did not refer to the allegatio

On the night of August 18, 2017 in Caloocan – the fourth most populous city in the Philippines – nineteen-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz appeared to have been kneeling on the ground before being mercilessly shot – four times in the chest and once in his right arm – by policemen who alleged that he returned fire whilst they were responding to a robbery call.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte may declare nationwide martial law next week if threatened massive protests by communists and other leftists against his rule turn violent or disrupt the country, his defence chief said Friday."He said, if the left will try to have a massive protest, start fires on the streets, they will disrupt the country, then I might (declare martial law)," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters, recounting a conversation with Duterte this week.

After launching his political career from a jail cell, Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes believes it could end in a grave thanks to a relentless campaign against his "hitman" president.But the former Navy officer with a history of coup attempts appears to thrive on the pressures that have come with regularly accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of being a corrupt mass murderer."This man is a sociopath and he has the mindset of a hitman," Trillanes, 46, told AFP in an inte

Philippine lawmakers have moved to cut the budget of the nation's human rights commission to 20 dollars and impeach the Supreme Court chief justice in what critics on Wednesday labelled part of a slide towards dictatorship under President Rodrigo Duterte.The twin votes in the House of Representatives added to a growing climate of fear that Duterte is determined to silence anyone critical of his war on drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives and led rights groups to warn of a crime ag

Philippine lawmakers have voted to slash annual funding for the nation's human rights commission to just 20 dollars in response to its investigations into President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war, authorities said Wednesday.The House of Representatives action is the latest part of what critics say is a campaign by Duterte and his allies to silence opposition to the crackdown, which has claimed thousands of lives and led rights groups to warn of a crime against humanity.The House,