Dire sign: A protester holding a placard criticising Duterte during a rally to mark International Human Rights Day in Manila. — AFP
IT seems President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs not only incited thousands of extrajudicial killings, but also served as political leverage for “outsider” mayors seeking to curry favour with his administration.
An upcoming US study reveals that independent and minority mayors – like Duterte was when he was Davao City mayor – implemented the drug war more aggressively than those from established parties to win electoral support.
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